A Texas funeral home is under investigation after a worker allegedly stabbed a customer — leading authorities to discover ten decaying bodies, including some reportedly covered in gnats.
The disturbing discovery was made Friday when police responded to Richardson Mortuary in Houston following reports that a funeral home worker attacked a customer who began filming bodies, ABC13 reported.
The victim’s sister, Tamara McGruder, said she and her brother had gone to the mortuary to check on their mother.
“I opened up the casket, and she had gnats in her face,” Tamara McGruder told the outlet.
Grim video captured by McGruder and her brother showed the conditions, with bodies haphazardly splayed on tables and gurneys. Some were wrapped in plastic while others were left partially uncovered.
McGruder said there was also no air conditioning.
“It’s bodies in caskets, boxes, plastic bags. It’s no A/C, it’s gnats. It smells like rotten blood,” she said.
The unidentified funeral worker told the family to leave, but when they refused, the worker stabbed McGruder’s brother, she recounted to the outlet.
The wound was minor and he was able to drive himself to the hospital, according to cops.
Since the suspect claimed self-defense, charges were not filed against them for the stabbing.
After a video of the bodies began circulating on social media, other families recognized their loved ones.
Murita Brown recognized her grandmother, Bonnie Ashley, who was supposed to be cremated last month, in the footage.
“I saw a lady in purple in the same suit as my grandmother so I said, Wait a minute, that look like my grand momma,” Murita Brown said.
“This was March the 21st and she was supposed to be cremated already and we been waiting on her ashes and nothing having been happening,” she said.
Demtrious Riley-Sylvester told Fox 26 she also believed her brother had already been cremated, only to discover his body in the video.
“It’s like some trash or a dog. Just throw him away like he’s trash, and she had me believing. We were just waiting on them to bring the ashes,” she said.
Scott Bingaman, executive of the Texas Funeral Service Commission, said his agency was made aware of the videos Friday afternoon and contacted police — though he expressed to ABC13 it was not uncommon for funeral homes to have bodies on tables.
Bingaman sent an inspector to investigate the reports of insect infestations and lack of air conditioning.
Harris County Precinct 7 Constable Smokie Phillips told ABC13 that the bodies had been transferred to other funeral homes with refrigerated rooms.
The owner could face criminal charges.
“You could look at abuse of corpse, things of that nature, but we’ll know more as we go through it,” Capt. Jim Dale with the Houston Police Department told the outlet.
Richardson Mortuary did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
