Woman Keeps Deceased Boyfriend’s Body in Basement to Collect His Benefits

A New York woman is headed to prison after pulling off a chilling scheme straight out of a true crime thriller—hiding her boyfriend’s decomposing body in the basement while she shamelessly spent his Social Security checks on shopping sprees and restaurant meals.

Wendy Stone, 63, was sentenced to a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally cashing in nearly $8,000 in benefits intended for her deceased partner, Kenneth Crisman. Authorities uncovered the bizarre and disturbing crime after months of investigation.

Crisman, Stone’s longtime boyfriend, died on December 28, 2022. But rather than notify authorities, Stone kept his death a dark secret. Days after his passing, she dragged his body down into the basement, wrapped it tightly in layers of plastic, and shoved it into a recycling bin. Determined to hide the gruesome evidence, she doused Crisman’s corpse in bleach repeatedly over several months, desperately trying to keep neighbors from noticing the unmistakable odor of decomposition.

All the while, Stone was busy draining her deceased boyfriend’s Social Security benefits. Prosecutors revealed she wasted no time—spending lavishly at local favorites like The Peppermill Restaurant and retail giants including Walmart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, The Home Depot, and Staples. Stone even brazenly used Crisman’s debit card at ATMs across town to withdraw cash directly from his account.

But her deception didn’t end there. In March 2023, Stone boldly opened a Rent-A-Center account using Crisman’s benefits debit card, purchasing more than $1,800 worth of goods without a hint of remorse. Throughout this period, she collected nearly $7,900 in Social Security payments she was never meant to receive, while also fraudulently pocketing an extra $1,072 in SNAP benefits.

Federal investigators eventually unraveled Stone’s sinister plot, leading to her arrest and guilty plea in April 2025 for conversion and unlawful conveyance of government money. At sentencing, prosecutors emphasized the disturbing lengths Stone went to in order to conceal Crisman’s death—highlighting her cold-blooded actions in treating the man she once shared her life with as little more than a tool to fund her extravagant lifestyle.

Now, Stone will serve 12 months behind bars, but the haunting details of her crime continue to stun residents of Rochester, who remain shocked by the callous betrayal and chilling indifference shown toward the dead.