Police found 31 decomposing bodies at an Indiana funeral home after neighbors called to complain about a sickening stench.
The disgusting discovery Friday night inside Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center left families of loved ones horrified as authorities scrambled to gather up the remains. The bodies are now in the possession of the Clark County Coroner’s Office.
“We arrived at the scene, of course our officers did smell a strong odor that was consistent with a decomposing body,” Jeffersonville Police Maj. Isaac Parker told WHAS News. “If you walked inside the business itself, you’d understand this is abnormal for any funeral home.”
Jeffersonville Police along with the fire department are investigating conditions at the Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center. No details as of now but will update here 👇🏼 @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/AEu7nUdF3u
— Ford Sanders WHAS 11 (@fordsandersTV) July 2, 2022
Inside the southern Indiana funeral parlor, police located 31 bodies, “some of which were in the advanced stages of decomposition,” along with the post-cremation remains of 16 other people. The bodies were said to be in varying stages of decomposition.
Over the weekend, various state and local agencies launched investigations into conditions at the funeral home, even as families were devastated to learn how their loved ones’ bodies had been treated.
“I couldn’t sleep last night not known what happened to his body,” Tara Owens said of her brother, Mike, whose body had been set for cremation back in April. “Has he been cremated? Is he not? What’s going on? If I do get cremated remains, how do I know that they’re him? It’s just really sad.”
Parker said the funeral home’s owner has been cooperative with police, but he declined to elaborate. No charges have been filed so far. Late Friday night, a refrigerated truck was seen parked outside the funeral home, and workers were loading corpses onto it.
Some bodies had been stored at the funeral home since March, Parker said.
“We understand that this is going to be a situation where we’re really going to need the assistance of these families,” Parker added. “I’m sorry that they’ve already suffered a loss and now they’re dealing with this situation. We ask anybody that has information to please reach out to us.”
Jeffersonville is near Louisville, Kentucky.
If you have entrusted the care of your loved one with Lankford Funeral Home, you are asked to call the coroner’s office at (812) 285-6535.