Florida investigator allegedly swiped dead man's debit card from death scene, sent money to girlfriend
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. - An investigator with the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office was arrested after he allegedly stole debit card information from a dead person during an investigation to send $450 to his girlfriend via Cash App – and police believe there could be other victims.
Darrell Reid, 38, of Pembroke Pines was charged with three counts of fraudulent use of the personal identification of a deceased person and one count of fraudulent use of a credit card, according to arrest records.
Authorities were first alerted to Reid's alleged scheme when the daughter of a man who died in Broward County reached out to police after she noticed three suspicious charges on her dead father's Bank of America debit card, according to an arrest warrant and affidavit obtained by FOX 35. This happened back in October 2023 after a man was found dead in an apartment after two weeks, arrest documents said.
Ten officials entered the man's apartment during the investigation, including eight Coral Springs Police Department employees, one employee of Removal Transport Services and one Broward County Medical Examiner's Office Investigator, identified as Reid. Reid was there for the purpose of "investigating the scene and taking possession of the body," documents said.
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During the investigation, the man's wallet and its contents were examined, which is a routine part of combing through the death scene, officials said. After the investigation, the man's apartment was locked and secured and the key was turned over to his daughter. A few days later, she showed up to the police station to report three suspicious transactions from Oct. 22, 2023 and Oct. 23, 2023. The man's daughter said no one had permission to use her father's debit card after his death and wished to pursue criminal charges.
Darrell Reid (Photo: Coral Springs Police Department)
Police said these transactions were described on bank statements as three separate Cash App payments to a woman named Shanika Wright for $150 each, according to the arrest affidavit. An investigation ensued, and police served a subpoena to the parent company of Cash App for information about the transactions. Police received account information that linked the aforementioned dead man's debit card information to Reid's Cash App account under the $cashtag "deathinvest85," according to the affidavit.
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Reid allegedly added the Bank of America debit card to his Cash App account just before 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2023 – just about an hour and a half after he had left the death scene. He allegedly used the Bank of America debit card three times to send $150 to Shanika Wright, before unlinking it from his account on Oct. 24, 2023:
- Oct. 22, 2023 at 12:13 a.m.
- Oct. 22, 2023 at 11:42 a.m.
- Oct. 23, 2023 at 8:14 a.m.
The information police received from Cash App also revealed that 27 separate payment sources, including 25 debit or credit cards and 2 Cash App cards, were added to Reid's account from when his account was created in 2020 to Nov. 8, 2023, according to the affidavit. The investigation into these account holders is still active, and several subpoenas have been served to multiple banks.
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"He had a feeling it was her," the affidavit said.
Chase Bank responded to the subpoena, and shared information about three debit cards that were allegedly added as payment options on Reid's Cash App account:
- Dec. 3, 2022: Reid allegedly linked a Chase debit card to his Cash App account on Dec. 3, 2022 and unlinked it the next day. The account holder of the debit card was tied back to someone who died in New York City on Dec. 2, 2022. Police said Reid previously worked as an investigator for the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and was the investigator assigned to the case. He responded to this death scene on Dec. 2, 2022, according to the affidavit.
- Oct. 31, 2023: Reid allegedly linked a Chase debit card to his Cash App account on Oct. 31, but it was blocked due to risk. The account holder of the debit card was tied back to a man who died in Broward County on Oct. 30. Reid was not the investigator at the death scene, but Medical Examiner's Office personnel told police he had access to the case file and scene photographs, which included a photo of the debit card belonging to the deceased. "It is unknown at this time how or when Reid obtained the debit card information of the decedent," police said.
- Nov. 6, 2023: Reid allegedly linked a Chase debit card to his Cash App account at 12:08 p.m., but it was blocked due to risk. The account holder of the debit card was tied back to a man who died in Broward County on Nov. 6. According to the affidavit, Reid was assigned as the investigator to the case and was at the scene of the death at 10:36 a.m., about an hour and a half before the debit card was linked to his account.
Police met up with Reid on Jan. 16 and they informed him that he was the subject of a criminal investigation, but he did not wish to speak to police without a lawyer present. Two days later, police spoke to Shanika Wright, the woman who Reid was allegedly sending money to on Cash App, over the phone, and she said she's currently dating Reid, according to the affidavit.
"Due to the aforementioned facts of this investigation, there is probable cause to believe that Darrell Reid has committed the listed offenses as he has engaged in a pattern of repeatedly stealing debit and credit card numbers and from death scenes and cases he was entrusted with investigating."
The Coral Springs Police Department believes there could be other victims. If you have any information related to this investigation or suspect your late loved one may have been a victim, contact Sgt. Brian Koenig at Bkoenig@coralsprings.gov.
FOX 35 reached out to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office for comment, but no word back yet.