Houston Funeral Home Under Investigation After Bodies Found in Uncooled Facility

Authorities in Houston have launched an investigation into Richardson Mortuary after at least 10 human bodies were discovered inside the un-air-conditioned facility in southwest Houston. The grim discovery came to light following a disturbing altercation involving a funeral home employee and a grieving family.

Police responded to the funeral home on Brookfield Drive around 11:55 a.m. Friday after a funeral worker allegedly stabbed a customer. According to Houston Police, the incident occurred after the customer began filming inside the facility and was confronted by staff.

Tamara McGruder, who had accompanied her brother to the funeral home, said they had grown concerned about the condition and whereabouts of their deceased relatives. When they opened one of the caskets, they were shocked to find gnats covering the face of their mother.

“In that building, it was hot. No air conditioning, gnats everywhere. Bodies in caskets, plastic bags, boxes. The smell of rotten blood was unbearable,” McGruder told Eyewitness News.

Cell phone videos taken by McGruder showed several bodies laid out in unsanitary conditions. The disturbing footage quickly spread across social media, prompting other concerned customers to rush to the funeral home in search of their loved ones.

Murita Brown was among them. She said she spotted a woman in one of the videos wearing the same outfit as her grandmother, who was supposed to have been cremated weeks ago.

“This was March 21st. We’ve been waiting for her ashes, and now this? We just want answers,” Brown said.

The confrontation escalated when a funeral home employee allegedly stabbed McGruder’s brother in the stomach. Police described the wound as minor, noting the victim was able to drive himself to the hospital. The worker claimed self-defense, and the district attorney has declined to press charges for now.

Scott Bingaman of the Texas Funeral Service Commission said his office was alerted to the situation after the videos surfaced. While storing bodies on tables can be part of standard practice, Bingaman acknowledged that reports of insect infestation and a lack of air conditioning are serious violations. An inspector has since been dispatched to the site.

Over the past decade, Richardson Mortuary has faced 14 complaints, though it’s unclear how many were confirmed. Harris County Precinct 7 Constable Smokie Phillips reported that the owner of the funeral home is currently hospitalized after suffering a heart attack. He has agreed to allow other funeral homes to transfer the bodies to properly refrigerated facilities.

Houston police say criminal charges, including potential abuse of a corpse, may be filed as the investigation unfolds.