All articles tagged with #funeral industry
The Mortician is a chilling HBO true-crime documentary series about David Sconce's notorious cremation business, revealing disturbing practices, industry corruption, and a major scandal that led to legal action and reforms, leaving viewers shocked by the unethical treatment of the deceased and their families.
The owners of a Colorado funeral home are set to enter their pleas on criminal charges including corpse abuse, falsifying death certificates, and sending fake ashes to families. The disturbing case involves nearly 200 decaying bodies found in a building filled with decomposition fluids and bugs, leaving families shattered. This is one of several criminal cases to rock Colorado’s funeral industry, prompting proposed bills to overhaul funeral home oversight in the state. The owners allegedly spent payments received from families on cryptocurrency, lavish dinners, and expensive vehicles.
A former funeral home owner in Colorado, facing financial trouble, kept a deceased woman's body in a hearse for two years and was evicted from his house where police found the cremated remains of at least 30 people. Authorities suspect that he may have provided families with incorrect ashes and failed to complete cremations. This case highlights the lax oversight of Colorado's funeral industry, which has seen a series of horrific cases involving funeral home operators. The former owner is expected to be charged with abuse of a corpse, forgery of the death certificate, and theft of cremation funds, with additional charges possible as the investigation continues.
Court documents reveal that a Colorado funeral home, Return to Nature Funeral Home, had been reported for mistreating corpses and improper refrigeration by the Fremont County coroner as early as 2020, but no action was taken by the state agency responsible for oversight. The funeral home, which had weak regulations and no routine inspections, allegedly stored nearly 200 decomposing bodies and used funds from grieving families for lavish personal expenses. The owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, have been charged with abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering, and forgery. Families, like Tanya Wilson, who hired the funeral home, were shocked to discover that their loved ones' remains were not properly handled.
Co-op Funeralcare will become the first UK company to offer resomation, also known as water cremation, as an alternative method of body disposal. Resomation uses a mixture of potassium hydroxide and water to break down human remains, leaving behind bones that are then powdered and returned to loved ones. The process is considered more sustainable, producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions and using less energy than traditional cremation. Co-op Funeralcare aims to improve carbon reduction targets and address the capacity challenges of a growing population. The cost of resomation is expected to be similar to that of a traditional cremation.