U.S.

Hearse - with body inside - stolen in Atlanta

/ CBS/AP

ATLANTA -- Atlanta police say they've apprehended a suspect accused of stealing a hearse with a body inside. The vehicle -- and the body -- both were recovered a short time later.

Atlanta police Officer Ralph Woolfolk said authorities believe the hearse was taken Sunday morning outside Grady Memorial Hospital in the city's downtown area. WSB-TV reports that it appears the driver drove through the gates of the hospital morgue.

Woolfolk tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the suspect abandoned the hearse a few blocks from Grady, then stole a gold Ford Explorer and drove off in that vehicle.

"When you think about it. Even the dead cannot rest in peace," funeral home director Willie Watkins told CBS Atlanta.

Police say they recovered the hearse, with the body still inside, on Auburn Avenue.

Woolfolk tells WXIA-TV that a suspect was in custody. Police haven't identified the suspect, and had no further details on the arrest.

First published on June 29, 2015 / 9:24 AM EDT

© 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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