funeral home

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After Grim Find, Colorado Funeral Home Owners Arrested

Authorities say 189 bodies were found at the Return to Nature facility

(Newser) - The owners of a Colorado funeral home were arrested in Oklahoma Wednesday, roughly a month after authorities said the decaying remains of more than 100 people were found at their facility. Return to Nature Funeral Home owners Jon and Carie Hallford were arrested in Wagoner on charges of abusing a...

189 Bodies Have Been Pulled From 'Green' Funeral Home

Now begins the process of identifying them for loved ones

(Newser) - The remains of at least 189 people have been removed from a Colorado funeral home, up from an initial estimate of about 115 when the decaying and improperly stored bodies were discovered two weeks ago, officials said Tuesday, per the AP . The remains were found by authorities responding to a...

Cops: 115 Decaying Bodies Found in 'Green' Funeral Home

The owner tried to claim he was conducting taxidermy at the Colorado facility, authorities say

(Newser) - The awful smell seeped from a neglected building in a small Colorado town for days, followed by a report that made police take a closer look at the "green" funeral operator's storage facility. Inside, they made a gruesome discovery: at least 115 decaying bodies, per the AP . Investigators...

Report: Funeral Home Owner Claimed He Practiced Taxidermy

115 decaying human bodies were found at Return to Nature facility in Colorado

(Newser) - The owner of a Colorado funeral home where 115 decaying bodies were found tried to conceal the improper storage of corpses and claimed he was doing animal taxidermy at the facility, according to a suspension letter sent to him by state regulators. The Return to Nature Funeral Home facility in...

Sheriff: Scene Inside 'Green' Funeral Home Was 'Horrific'

115 bodies found at Colorado facility under investigation for improperly storing remains

(Newser) - Police said Friday they have found at least 115 bodies at a Colorado "green" funeral home under investigation for improper handling of remains. Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper, who described the scene as "horrific," said they are coordinating with other agencies to determine if there is any...

Court: No Suit Over Woman Mistakenly Declared Dead

Panel says family of Timesha Beauchamp, who did eventually die, can't file complaint against EMTs

(Newser) - The family of a Michigan woman who was erroneously declared dead in 2020, then declared dead for real eight weeks later, tried to sue the city of Southfield and four first responders whose bad judgment, they say, contributed to Timesha Beauchamp's demise from a brain injury. Her family says...

Days After 'Dead' Woman Was Found Alive, a New Incident

Last time it happened in Iowa; this time, a 'deceased' woman was found breathing on Long Island

(Newser) - It's not a trend we wanted to see in 2023, but it's one that's emerging. Last month, a senior citizen in Iowa was pronounced dead at a continuing care home, only to be found alive shortly thereafter at a funeral home (she then died two days later,...

Funeral Home Staff Unzipped a Body Bag, Got Quite a Shock

Woman who'd been declared dead at Iowa continuing care facility was actually still alive

(Newser) - At least four people who were sure a woman with early-onset dementia at a continuing care home in Iowa had passed away didn't get it right, and the facility is now facing a hefty fine. ABC News reports on the incident out of Urbandale, where the 66-year-old in hospice...

Funeral Home Van Stolen, With a Body Inside

Police in Illinois recover both, separately, but are still searching for suspect

(Newser) - A thief who stole a van from a funeral home in Illinois last week probably should have expected the next development: A man's body was in the cargo area. Police in Rockford say the van belonged to Collins & Stone Funeral Home, which was in the process of handling...

'Real-Life Body-Snatching Case' Reaches Its Conclusion

Megan Hess sentenced to 20 years after pleading guilty to mail fraud

(Newser) - Prosecutors said what victims perceived as Megan Hess' lack of remorse would be considered at her January sentencing, and it apparently was. The former Colorado funeral home operator faced up to 20 years after pleading guilty in July to a count of mail fraud tied to a scheme in which...

Interest 'Flourishing' in This Rather Grim Career

Amid an industry worker shortage, mortuary science programs are seeing big enrollment jump

(Newser) - Mortuary schools are still doing the hard sell on their websites to get potential funeral home workers to enroll. Turns out, though, that may not be necessary at the moment. Although there's a worker shortage in the industry, interest in funeral services is "flourishing," reports CNN Business...

Family: Body at Wake Reeked, Face 'Looked Like It Was Caved In'

They've filed suit against Brooklyn funeral home over condition of a 37-year-old woman's remains

(Newser) - What was supposed to be a dignified memorial service for Regina Christophe now has her family suing a New York City funeral home. The 37-year-old died in her sleep on June 24, and her family soon after retained McManus Funeral Home in Brooklyn to prepare her body for the service...

Cops Find 'Very Unpleasant Scene' at Funeral Home

Some of the 31 bodies inside were in an advanced state of decomposition

(Newser) - Police in Jeffersonville, Indiana say officers knew something was badly wrong as soon as they arrived at Lankford Funeral Home, where there had been reports of a bad odor. Police say 31 bodies, some of them in an advanced state of decomposition, were found at the business Friday night. "...

At Viewing, They Found a Stranger's Body in Mom's Clothes

'We just couldn't understand how this could happen'

(Newser) - Two daughters of a North Carolina woman who died last month say they walked up to her casket and found another woman's body dressed in their mother's clothes. While such mix-ups happen surprisingly often, per Newsweek , Jennifer Taylor and Jennetta Archer say the Sept. 7 viewing at Hunter'...

Body on Gurney Rolls Out of Stolen Mortuary Van

Suspect Kijon Griffin escaped police but turned himself in 2 days later

(Newser) - "It's ridiculous that the dead can't even rest," says mortuary owner Stan Henderson. Police say a suspect in several felonies who was fleeing officers stole a mortuary van with a body inside from the parking lot of Henderson's Conyers, Georgia, business Tuesday afternoon, Fox 5...

He Left Behind Two Widows and One Big Lawsuit
Widow Sues Funeral Home
Over Husband's Other Widow
in case you missed it

Widow Sues Funeral Home Over Husband's Other Widow

It's all explained in a strange federal lawsuit against a Baltimore funeral home

(Newser) - A Baltimore Sun report on a strange federal lawsuit begins with a doozy of a first sentence: "Demetra Street didn't know, as she sang at her husband Ivan's Baltimore funeral service in late January, that apparently he already had been buried days earlier and miles away,"...

'Horror on Top of Heartbreak' After Funeral Vehicle Stolen

Woman's body was inside van taken from St. Louis convenience store

(Newser) - In this week's "you had one job" post, a Missouri funeral home driver may be in a bit of trouble after an incident in St. Louis. Per KSDK , which deems the case "horror on top of heartbreak," local police are on the hunt for a white...

Funeral Homes Want to Give Older Americans a Ride

They plan to drive up to 300K people to the polls on Election Day

(Newser) - Some old voters could ride in style to the polls on Election Day, thanks to an offer from ... funeral homes. The National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association expects to offer free rides to up to 300,000 people nationwide on Nov. 3, including in Baltimore, Miami, Detroit, Los Angeles, and...

Car Pulls Up to 100 Mourners, Opens Fire

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett condemns shooting that leaves 7 injured

(Newser) - Seven people were shot and wounded Wednesday in an apparent drive-by shooting outside a Milwaukee funeral home, the city's mayor said. Mayor Tom Barrett said all seven people were hit when a person driving past the funeral home opened fire. Acting Police Chief Michael Brunson said all of the...

Bizarre Mistake: Woman at Funeral Home Still Alive

Young woman was declared dead in Detroit, but she proved them wrong

(Newser) - Authorities in Detroit are investigating a bizarre and scary mistake: A young woman was declared dead before employees at a funeral home realized she was still alive, reports WDIV . This began unfolding about 7:30am Sunday when the Southfield Fire Department responded to a call about an unresponsive female. (She...

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