Caregiver Charged With Opening Credit Card in Deceased Patient's Name

Debra Berryhill, 54 |Cook County Sheriff

ORLAND PARK, IL -- A Homer Glen woman is accused of opening a credit card using the name of her elderly client just days after she died, prosecutors said.

Debra Berryhill, 54, of the 12600 block of West Yorkshire Drive, Homer Glen, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a charge of felony aggravated theft.

According to the charges, Berryhill was the hired caregiver of an elderly woman in Orland Park. A few days after the elderly woman passed away, on Nov. 29, 2014, Berryhill opened a Capital One credit card in the deceased woman’s name.

Berryhill allegedly put her name on the Capital One card, and then transferred $30,000 to the credit card from her late elderly client’s joint bank account, which she shared with her son.

The elderly woman’s son noticed that a credit card had been opened in his mother’s name just days after she passed away. Upon further investigation, he saw that Berryhill’s name was listed as a secondary cardholder, the prosecutor said.

He also saw that money was missing from his mother’s bank account that had been allegedly withdrawn by Berryhill.

Orland Park police arrested the Homer Glen woman on April 6.

Berryhill’s attorney told the judge that his client had been placed on the account by the elderly woman before she passed away.

“Somebody is out $30,000,” Judge Felice said.

Bail was set at $200,000. Berryhill is due back in court May 5 in Bridgeview.