Police arrest pair after finding girl's corpse sexually abused

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) Two employees of a company that transports bodies for the coroner's office were arrested after investigators discovered the body of a 4-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at the county morgue, authorities said.

All-County Transportation employees Donald Luis Cooper Jr., 32, and Chaunee Marie Helm, 30, both of Hesperia, were arrested Friday for investigation of mutilating human remains, according to a statement by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The two were booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

``What has been described constitutes the grossest violation of trust and decency imaginable,'' Coroner Brian McCormick said in a written statement Friday. ``Our hearts go out to the family and we share their anger.''

Authorities said the girl's body was taken by the two employees to the county morgue after she died Wednesday morning at Victor Valley Community Hospital. Later that day, a technician from the Inland Eye and Tissue Bank arrived at the morgue to harvest the child's corneas. The technician discovered the child's body had been sexually assaulted and notified the coroner, authorities said.

``What I want them to do this guy probably isn't legal,'' the girl's mother, Kathleen Jones, told the Daily Press of Victorville. ``I want him prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.''

Jones said her daughter was rushed to the hospital after suffering a high fever and seizures.

Authorities first suspected the girl had been molested before her death and placed Jones' three other children in protective custody while they investigated, Jones said. After determining the girl had no sign of trauma when she was taken to the hospital, authorities discovered the assault occurred at the morgue. Jones' children were returned to her on Thursday.

``It's bad enough that she is dead,'' she said. ``It's just inconceivable.''

The arrests prompted the coroner's office to suspend business with All-County Transportation pending a review. Transportation of bodies will now be conducted by coroner's officials.

All-County could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jones told the Daily Press that investigators determined the assault took place at the morgue after reviewing surveillance video. Cooper is suspected of sexaully assaulting the dead girl and Jones said detectives told her Helm acted as a lookout. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's department declined to confirm if the assault was recorded.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)