A Los Angeles funeral home owner illegally sent the remains of 11 people, including children, to the embalming and embalming stages, and faces more than 10 years in prison. Prosecutors announced this today.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the owner of Mark B. Allen Mortuary and Cremations Services Inc. After complaints from relatives. The morgue is now closed.
The man is accused of 22 offenses – 2 per person. The maximum penalty is $110,000 and imprisonment is 11 years.
The attorney general, US Attorney Mike Foer, described the situation as “extremely sad and appalling”. “Eleven people died, including very young children, and the mortuary who was preparing the bodies for burial was reported to have respectfully left the bodies to rot.”
It is unclear why the man chose to embalm the remains. Few details about the case are known.
This is not the first time
This isn’t the first time a US funeral director has made headlines for mishandling dead bodies. Funeral rules are different in every US state, and some states do not monitor these centers.
In one of the most extreme cases, more than 330 decomposing bodies were found at a crematorium in Noble Town, near Atlanta, in 2002. The previous owner pleaded guilty to nearly 800 counts, including fraud and misuse of corpses.
