Bodies Found Warm, Covered In Insects At Texas Funeral Home

A funeral home in the state of Texas is being investigated for how they handled the bodies of passed on individuals. How did the case begin? Here are the details at the time of writing.

The Beginnings Of The Case

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the funeral home in question is Richardson Mortuary. In 2014, a daughter of a person whose body was placed in Richardson Mortuary, unidentified at the time of writing, made their way into the building.

Per Houston law enforcement, what the daughter discovered was truly horrifying. According to the report:

“She found her deceased mother in a coffin covered in bugs and in advanced state of decay...She also noticed several deceased bodies in the warm building in different stages of decomposition. The building was open to the elements, very dirty, hot, not sanitary and under construction with a strong odor of decomposition.”

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The question then became how did this situation come to pass? Further investigation revealed that, as well as how terrible it had gotten in the building.

What Led To The Building's Terrible Conditions?

When officers investigating further, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, revealed that nearly 70 cremated bodies were in Richardson Mortuary. In addition to that, the bodies had additional issues:

“Flies and bugs were in the building and the insects were attracted to the decomposing bodies...The decomposing bodies in the building were warm with flies and other bugs about their faces and bodies.”

Gayle Bell, who owned the building with her ex-husband, Michael Richardson, told officers that Richardson was supposed to take care of the building following Hurricane Beryl causing damage to it in 2024. One of the main issues with the building which caused the issues, per law enforcement, was that the air conditioning was in disrepair.

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At the time of writing, Both Bell and Richardson are facing the charge of abuse of a corpse. As this is a developing story, we will have more information when it becomes available.