On April 30, 2015, Sims gained entry to the funeral home by telling Lynch’s family she was a makeup artist and was there to prepare the body for viewing.

A short time later, the real funeral home staff checked on the body just before the family viewing and were horrified to discover Lynch had been brutally mutilated.

Sims had carved a deep gash from the forehead to the nose and cut off a toe and a breast. She also cut the hair, removed Lynch’s clothes, and smeared her makeup.

Lynch had died from natural causes at age 38, and according to the Tulsa Police Department, Sims believed she was having an affair with her husband, Monty Smith.

Smith denies they had a relationship. He would later testify against his then-estranged wife and claimed, “I didn’t even know she’d be capable of doing that.”

Sims was also found to have broken into Lynch’s apartment, where she stole the dead woman’s jewelry. She, again, posed as a funeral home worker to trick Lynch’s family into giving her access to the apartment.

When the police arrested Sims, they found a knife and a box cutter in her possession. The knife had Lynch’s hair still attached to it.