Funny T-Shirt Alert: A Little Morbid Humor?

For Stiffness Basic T-Shirt
by stuartsgallery

60 Minutes Feature: Final Resting Place, A Must See for Consumers

Ohio Funeral Home Worker Inappropriately Touched Corpse

H.H. Birkenkamp is owned by Houston-based Service Corporation International

Toledo, Ohio

Police in Toledo have arrested an employee of H.H. Birkenkamp Funeral Home, owned by Houston-based Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI), for handling a corpse in a sexual manner. Lawrence J. Clement was taken into custody on Thursday. Another employee walked in and caught Clement involved in a sexual act with the corpse.

According to investigators, employees with the H.H. Birkenkamp Funeral Home called the 51-year-old victim's family members to report that one of their staff members had "had his way" with her corpse.

The funeral home reportedly offered to waive the $11,000 funeral fee if the family did not call police. The family rejected the funeral home's offer, contacted police and had the victim transferred to another funeral home.

Clement was booked into the Lucas County Jail and charged with abuse of a corpse.

Funeral Home: No Electricity, Bones on Roof and Decomposing Corpses

Chicago, Illinois

Family members and police were recently gathered outside of Carter Funeral Chapel in Chicago. This time, however, they were not on-hand to attend a funeral. Instead, they were demanding to know what has happened to their relatives remains after police found the funeral home in a 'state of disarray'.

Police first discovered deeply disturbing evidence outside of the funeral home. Bones were found on the roof and it was discovered that this particular funeral home had no working electricity. The funeral home had previously been shut-down after it was discovered that frozen water bottles were being used to preserve dead bodies inside.

Police said they found a back door off its hinges, confirmed no power or heating inside the building and bodies in ‘various states of preparation’ (otherwise meaning decomposed).

Family Sues Kentucky Cemetery After Deceased Grandmother Is Dropped Head-First Out Of Casket

Frankfort, Kentucky

A family in Kentucky is suing the owners of a local cemetery after they allegedly dropped the casket, causing their deceased grandmother to fall out of the casket, head-first into the burial plot.

The family’s attorney says 85-year-old Katherine Galbraith was being buried at the Sunset Memorial Gardens last March when cemetery workers reportedly dropped the casket, causing Galbraith to fall head-first out of the casket to the ground.

Several of the woman's personal belongings fell out of the casket and into the grave, including a rose and pearl necklace.

Investigators say the workers were attempting to lower the casket into the grave using a backhoe instead of a standard lowering mechanism when they dropped and broke the casket.

Galbraith's daughter, Ruth Ritter, stated that the cemetery called and informed her that the casket had been scratched, but didn't disclose that her mother's body had actually fallen out of the casket.

Instead of telling the family the truth, the family said the cemetery covered it up and treated their mother's body like trash.

The cemetery later disinterred the deceased woman's remains so that family members could see the extent of the damage. Family members noted that mud and several abrasions were found on the deceased woman's body and the casket had been badly damaged.

The woman was then reburied two days later.

Family members describe Galbraith as a meticulous person, pointing at that she even wore lipstick and earrings each day at the hospital.

The lawsuit against the cemetery alleged negligence, mishandling of a corpse, fraud and conspiracy for not explaining the extent of the damage.

There are additional complaints about this particular cemetery.

Burr Oak Cemetery Manager Heading To Prison For 12 Years

Carolyn Towns - The former manager of Burr Oak Cemetery

Chicago, Illinois

The convicted ringleader of the macabre Burr Oak Cemetery burial plot-reselling scheme turned herself in today to begin serving her 12-year prison sentence, authorities said.

Carolyn Towns, 51, of Blue Island, pleaded guilty in July to six charges, including desecration of human remains, removal of the remains of multiple deceased people from a burial ground and conspiracy to dismember multiple human bodies.

In July, she was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, but was given the time to make arrangements for the care of her elderly mother, said one of Towns’ attorney, Richard Kling.

“Sometimes good people do foolish things … It’s very sad. She’s a sweet lady and she’s going to pay a dear price,” he said.

She was one of four cemetery employees charged two years ago when the grave-digging scheme was exposed. Backhoe operator Maurice Dailey, 61, of Robbins; foreman Keith Nicks, 47 and dump-truck operator Terrence Nicks, 41, both of Chicago were also charged. Their cases are pending.

In July 2009, authorities revealed that workers at Burr Oak were reselling graves and dumping hundreds of old remains in an abandoned, weed-covered lot, Dart said.

The discovery shocked the region’s black community because of the cemetery’s special significance to African-Americans. Burr Oak was the area’s first cemetery to allow blacks to be interred there, and countless African-American families would bury relatives there over the years.

Towns was accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the corporation that operated the cemetery, officials with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors said Towns would accept cash payments from grieving families and keep the money. She would then instruct the gravediggers to bury the bodies in plots that were already occupied. In some cases, the diggers would stack new coffins on top of old ones, authorities said. Or they would remove the old remains and bury the new ones there.

Police: Former Funeral Director Charged With Theft of Preneed Funeral Funds

Hartford, Connecticut

A former funeral home director in Hartford has been arrested.

Geneva County Sheriff Deputies have arrested Jason Shephard and are charging him with eight counts of Theft By Deception. The charges stem from an investigation into the pre-need funeral home accounting practices of the funeral home owned by Shephard.

After an investigation by Hartford Police, the case information was presented to a Geneva County Grand Jury which returned indictments.

Shepard had moved to Georgia and was arrested in Georgia.

The deceptive practices came to light following complaints from families that had paid pre-need funerals.

Funeral Director Charged With Stealing From Widow: Police Suspect More Victims

Maureen Purcell is accused of theft

Louisville, Kentucky

A funeral home director is facing charges after police say she stole thousands of dollars from an elderly widow and now, police believe there may be more victims.

According to Louisville Metro Police, the funeral director, Maureen Purcell, met the 89-year-old victim when she came into Ratterman Brothers Funeral Home in St. Matthews. Police say the victim went there to have her husband's remains cremated. They say Purcell then befriended the woman, knowing she had no family nearby.

Police say Purcell was able to get power of attorney over the victim, and at that point started stealing from her almost every day.

Purcell was released from jail on her own recognizance. Police say she admitted to stealing $8,000 out of the $10,000 that she's charged with.

The Ratterman Brothers Funeral Home says they are completely surprised by the arrest. Purcell has a bad credit history, and has had several lawsuits filed against her.

Consumer Group Compares Funeral Prices in Vermont

I was looking over the latest figures for average funeral costs, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. According to their calculations, the average price of a funeral is $7,755. Of course, they point out that the figure doesn’t include the cost of a cemetery plot, flowers, monument marker and obituary. That figure, however, remains in sharp contrast to the prices I generally see. I often see a television commercial for an insurance company, which points to a similar $7,000 price point.

I ran across another article pointing the finger at corporate funeral homes for the higher-priced funerals. And perhaps this is true, as my experience with higher costs involved corporate firms. If I recall correctly, the last handful of funerals I arranged were priced from $12,000 - $17,000, sold in a corporate setting and were purchased as packages.

Anyway, back to the article, In Vermont, the average price tag for a traditional funeral is $4,330, according to a recent survey by the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Vermont. Cremation costs about $2,200. The alliance released its 2011 General Price Survey of the state’s 81 funeral homes last week, which includes a breakdown of prices for 29 individual services from embalming to burial that are provided by mortuaries in Vermont.

Lisa Carlson, a funeral consumer advocate and author, said the prices are “particularly admirable because these guys are paying the exorbitant fees for gas and fuel that everyone else is.”

Funeral prices in Vermont are low compared with the national average, but costs have gone up dramatically at a handful of funeral homes in southern Vermont that are owned by a multinational corporation, according to the alliance.

Service Corporation International, a publicly traded company based in Houston, Texas, with assets of $9 billion, owns four funeral homes in southern Vermont. The average total cost of a funeral at these homes, is $6,125, or $1,695 more than the statewide average, as reported in the alliance survey.

Adams & Kenney Funeral Homes in Ludlow and Ker Westerlund Funeral Homes in Brattleboro are two of the local entities that are part of the Dignity Memorial network of 1,600 funeral homes nationwide. Dignity Memorial is a subsidiary of Service Corporation International, which bills itself as “North America’s largest provider of deathcare products and services.” The company generated $1.5 billion in revenues in 2010.

“Those plans often come in the form of package deals, in which consumers choose a fixed array of services that include all the necessary components of a funeral, plus many unnecessary services as well," according to Carleson.

Carlson, an author and former executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, said grieving family members often spend more than they have to on funerals because they don’t shop around. Fifty-three percent of funeral consumers choose a funeral home because it has been used by their family in the past, and 33 percent go to the nearest available funeral home.

“A lot of people assume they have to call the only funeral home in town,” said Carlson, co-author of Final Rights, a book on the legal and business aspects of funerals and how they affect consumers.

For more information about funeral service costs, go to the Federal Trade Commission website at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro26.shtm

Woman Finds Debris Mixed In With Father’s Cremated Remains

Long Island, New York

A Long Island woman found more than she bargained for while attempting to scatter the cremated remains of her father.

Jennie Spooner, of Amityville, had planned on giving her father the send-off he deserved. She dusted some of his ashes on a dinosaur in the Museum of Natural History, attached some to the tail of a kite and spilled some on the water at Canaan Lake as her dad wanted, reports The New York Post.

Before she could continue spreading her father’s ashes at his favorite haunts throughout the city, Spooner discovered debris mixed in with the cremated remains. The debris included:

• Pieces of Bone
• Pieces of a broom
• Glass shards
• Metal staples
• Partially melted crucifix

The 52-year-old Spooner, upon finding the trash, immediately called Joseph Slinger-Hasgill Funeral Home to complain, but the director blamed the crematorium. Spooner was horrified.

“My heart was pounding. I said, ‘What the heck is that? A spring? It flipped me out,” said Spooner, whose father died eight months ago from pneumonia and an infection. He was 79.

Spooner hired an attorney and is considering a lawsuit against the funeral and the crematorium.

Both the funeral home and the crematorium have declined comment.

Kansas Adds Eco-Friendly Cremation Alternative

Source

Topeka, Kansas

Funeral industry regulators in Kansas are working on putting rules into place that would allow funeral service providers to use a new method of cremation by July. Many funeral homes, already struggling with declining profits with the popularity of cremation, are against the process, as it allows for another potentially lower-cost solution for consumers.

The scientific term for the new method, Alkaline Hydrolysis, removes the need for a flame. Instead, the process combines heat, pressure and sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide solution. The human remains is reduced to dry bone residue and a slightly alkaline coffee-colored liquid mix of nutrients, sugars and protein parts that can be discarded.

Kansas legislators in 2010 passed a law that broadens the definition of cremation and makes the state just the seventh in the nation to allow the practice.

Alkaline Hydrolysis, also called bio-cremation, has already been in place in the world of medical research. Medical researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and the University of Florida already use the process for human cadavers. Researchers at other universities have used it for decades on animal carcasses too.

Proponents of the method point to its ecologically friendly nature, as the removal of fire eliminates emissions of carbon dioxide and of potentially noxious fumes such as mercury from dental fillings.

As of this writing, there have been no Kansas funeral homes applying to open a hydrolysis cremation unit. So far, Ohio is the only state in the U.S. where the process has been used. That state’s definition of cremation remains narrower than Kansas’ however, and regulators there consequently have questioned whether it is legal. Six other states have approved broader definitions such as Kansas’; legislators in 14 others are contemplating similar changes.

Costs structures for the potentially emerging alternative remain sketchy. Traditional cremation costs vary widely. However, they often range between $1,000 and $4,000, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. Costs for traditional funerals also vary but often range from $6,000 upward, according to Association figures.

Paid Newspaper Ad From SCI Funeral Chain Has Texans Crying Foul

Austin, Texas

A well-known (well, former well-known name) in Austin funeral service has created a debate that’s growing bigger than Texas. A former funeral home owner, Charles Walden, allowed his name to appear in an advertisement (designed to look like an open-letter) placed by Houston-based funeral corporation, Service Corporation International. The advertisement appeared in the Austin American Statesman’s May 26th edition.

In the ad, Walden attempts to convince Austin readers that all Cook-Walden funeral service locations are the same now as they have been for the last 100 years. Well, that statement has stirred up more than a few Texans (and others) who claim the statement is misleading. You see, Cook-Walden originally had just one funeral home 40 years ago. It is now owned by Service Corporation International (SCI)-the largest funeral and cemetery chain in the world.


According to the history of Cook-Walden funeral services published at its own website, in the late 1800s a funeral home was opened in downtown Austin by Samuel E. Rosengren. In 1920, Charles B. Cook purchased that business. In 1971, Charles Walden purchased Cook Funeral Home. The name was changed to Cook-Walden. Shortly thereafter, Charles Walden bought two adjacent cemeteries in the Pflugerville area. In 1985, he bought Davis Funeral Home in Georgetown, then Forest Oaks funeral and cemetery in 1992. The two funeral homes at the Pflugerville cemeteries location and on Hwy. 183 at Anderson Mill were built more recently.

In 1997, Cook-Walden sold all of its operations to SCI. The recent open letter in the Statesman claims that in 1993 the Cook-Walden chain joined the Dignity Memorial(R) network (a registered service mark of SCI). But Cook-Walden could not have joined the Dignity Memorial(R) network until 2004 because that network did not exist until then, and that network is used only by SCI-owned facilities.

Charles Walden has continued to provide some consulting services, since the 1997 purchase by the corporation. However, local sources are unclear on his exact involvement. It is clear that SCI focuses mainly on making profits, which is the primary responsibility of all corporations. If, as its ad claims, it can provide “compassionate care” in doing so, that is a benefit to families.

However, another debate is unfolding – in addition to the botched history lesson by Charles Walden. The debate is now focusing on the overall reputation of Service Corporation International. The company is no stranger to bad press, lawsuits and now, online employee message forums. These forums are accusing the company of being extremely uncompassionate to its employees, even when those employees are trying to provide compassionate service to grieving families. In the original article, a number of examples pulled from forums are given.

“I am a funeral director and embalmer for SCI. It is a terrible company to work for, and I would discourage anyone from applying with them. The management is terrible, from the top all the way down the the location manager. You have no home life, you are expected to get the work done, but get in trouble for getting overtime hours. There is no such thing as christmas bonuses or raises in this company. You are not respected as a professional in your field. Bottom line, in my oppinion, this company cares about nothing but money. I got into this field to help people, not rob them without a gun.”

“This place is horrible! We got baught by SCI about 3 years ago and its been down hill from there. We’ve had 4 different managers. The average employee leaves within a few years. Im on my fourth year and havent even broke a dollar as far as raises. Micro-management, Micro-management. You work your ass off just to keep your job. They will suck the life out of your ability to care for grieving families. STAY AWAY!”

A local columnist has this to say:

Local families who need to plan a funeral would be wise to ignore SCI’s self-promotion and shop around. There are many good and fair-priced funeral services available in the Austin area. Cost comparisons are made simple by the annual survey of funeral costs published by AMBIS-the nonprofit Funeral Consumers Alliance affiliate serving central Texas. The 2011 survey can be found on-line.

I think we all have our own opinions about service providers of all types. And I also think we understand the goal of newspaper and television ads. As for the forums, I have looked at a few, but understand the subjective nature of opinions. In my own experience with the corporation, I would not choose them to take care of a loved one of mine. Now, regardless of your opinion of SCI, the part of this article that I would pay closer attention to is the idea of shopping around.

Why The Cost of Cremations Will Probably Go Higher

Houston, Texas

The largest funeral and cremation provider in North America, Houston-based Service Corporation International, has taken steps to increase their size. The company (NYSE:SCI) has officially announced the purchase of 70% of the outstanding shares of The Neptune Society.

Includes:

• The Neptune Society
• Neptune Cremation Service
• Trident Society

Neptune is the nation's largest direct cremation organization, with annual revenues of more than $55 million and a network of 30 locations in nine states. Through an active preneed sales program, Neptune has built a backlog of future revenues of more than $125 million. Neptune operates under the brand names Neptune Society, Neptune Cremation Service and Trident Society.

Neptune's owner, BG Capital Management Corp., a diversified private equity company, will continue to hold 30% of the outstanding shares, and the company will continue to be managed by its current Chief Executive Officer, Marco Markin.

"We look forward to welcoming Neptune's associates into the SCI family of businesses," said Thomas L. Ryan, SCI President and CEO. "This partnership is a wonderful opportunity for us to join forces with the largest and fastest growing direct cremation company in North America. Neptune serves a segment of the market that will continue to grow and that we do not currently target through our traditional funeral service and cemetery network. In addition to building on Neptune's successful growth and customer service we will be able to yield immediate synergies by providing back office and fulfilment support through SCI's infrastructure."

Marco Markin, CEO of Neptune commented, "In our stage of rapid growth and development, it is the perfect time to partner with a company having SCI's scale, resources and capital. Neptune is a great organization with fabulous employees and we are all excited to pursue the tremendous growth prospects ahead of us."

It's no secret, traditional funerals are not as popular as they once were. Cremation has been on the rise for many years, actually becoming the dominant choice. There are a number of reasons, one of which is price. Of course, with funeral homes struggling to find ways to revive revenue streams, we could have seen this move by SCI coming. Now, more than ever, it appears to be a battle over controlling consumer choices. 

If history proves anything, I suspect you will notice a price increase over at the mighty Neptune pretty soon. Remember, shopping around is key. 

Arizona Crematory Facing Trouble Over Mishandling of Bodies

Mesa, Arizona

Arizona’s funeral board is moving to shut down a Mesa crematorium that a television station’s investigation found had stored dozens of bodies in unsanitary conditions in the business and others in a van outside.

The unanimous action Tuesday by the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers was spurred by findings that incorporated the results of KNXV-TV’s April investigation.

The station reported that dozens of bodies were not refrigerated inside the business because coolers were full and several others were kept overnight in a van. Maggots were observed on the floor of the crematory and on boxes containing bodies, the station reported.

All State Crematory’s owner Franklin Lambert admitted to the findings of the board's investigation, which had included the station's report, said Executive Director Rodolfo Thomas.

The board's staff was preparing a consent agreement under which Lambert and his business would lose their licenses and pay a $3,000 civil penalty, plus administrative costs, Thomas said Wednesday.

Lambert should get the proposed consent agreement by next week, and he will then have 30 days to either consent to the agreement or face formal proceedings, Thomas said.

Board President Katherine Shindel said Lambert's actions were unacceptable.

"When family members entrusted their loved ones to you, they expected them to be treated with dignity and care," she said. "They could not have imagined that you would let their loved ones rot like spoiled meat in the heat."

Good News In California: New Senate Bill Would Cause Funeral Home Prices to Be Posted Online

News out of California

Many funeral homes are now promoting their services on the Internet. While some prices are noted, the majority are not. In California, the state Senate has approved legislation requiring funeral homes to post their prices online.

State law already requires funeral directors to provide a general price list detailing the cost of caskets and other services at the start of any discussion with a potential consumer. Senate Bill 658 extends those requirements to funeral home websites, requiring that the home page features a link to the price list.

“The goal is to make shopping for funeral services a little easier for the consumer,” author Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, said on the floor.

A committee analysis says the Center for Public Interest Law, which sponsored the bill, is arguing that the change would help grieving consumers to make informed choices about the costly services as they explore their options online.

The bill, which passed 23-14, now goes to the Assembly.

Now, if only other states will follow.

Source

Death Care Shopping Coming To A Mall Near You

Wichita, Kansas

A video on YouTube has gone viral, bringing unexpected attention to a mall in Wichita, Kansas, featuring a unique shopping experience.

‘Til We Meet Again has recently opened a store in a Wichita shopping mall, featuring custom caskets and urns for sale directly to consumers.

The video is also leading to a second store, this one in Hutchinson, in what owners Nathan Smith and Traci Cone hope will be a franchised chain.

“This whole thing has just taken … off and just taken us all by storm,” Smith says.

Smith says he’s also closed a deal to license Kansas State University logos on caskets and urns and is working with Wichita State University to do the same.

Smith says he’s getting help and advice from Pizza Hut co-founder Dan Carney, who is on his informal board of advisers.

“He’s guiding us in making this thing work the right way,” Smith says.

What Your Funeral Director Won't Tell You

Readers Digest just put together a list of things, 13 in all, that your funeral director won't tell you. Of course, it has already sparked a nasty battle of words -- the nasty words coming from many funeral directors. I was surprised to see that over at one site (a website dedicated to funeral directors), the owner posted the list. However, he was careful to put a disclaimer above, noting that "The opinions expressed did not reflect those of his site." After all, he just wanted to warn funeral directors that someone was looking out for consumers.

Without any disclaimer of my own (other than giving my endorsement to the items listed below), I present the list.

13 Things the Funeral Director Won’t Tell You

Go ahead and plan your funeral, but think twice before paying in advance. You risk losing everything if the funeral home goes out of business. Instead, keep your money in a pay-on-death account at your bank.

If you or your spouse is an honorably discharged veteran, burial is free at a Veterans Affairs National Cemetery. This includes the grave, vault, opening and closing, marker, and setting fee. Many State Veterans Cemeteries offer free burial for veterans and, often, spouses (http://www.cem.va.gov/).

You can buy caskets that are just as nice as the ones in my showroom for thousands of dollars less online from Walmart, Costco, or straight from a manufacturer.

On a budget or concerned about the environment? Consider a rental casket. The body stays inside the casket in a thick cardboard container, which is then removed for burial or cremation.

Running a funeral home without a refrigerated holding room is like running a restaurant without a walk-in cooler. But many funeral homes don’t offer one because they want you to pay for the more costly option: embalming. Most bodies can be presented very nicely without it if you have the viewing within a few days of death.

Some hard-sell phrases to be wary of: “Given your position in the community …,” “I’m sure you want what’s best for your mother,” and “Your mother had excellent taste. When she made arrangements for Aunt Nellie, this is what she chose.”

“Protective” caskets with a rubber gasket? They don’t stop decomposition. In fact, the moisture and gases they trap inside have caused caskets to explode.

If there’s no low-cost casket in the display room, ask to see one anyway. Some funeral homes hide them in the basement or the boiler room.

Ask the crematory to return the ashes in a plain metal or plastic container — not one stamped temporary container. That’s just a sleazy tactic to get you to purchase a more expensive urn.

Shop around. Prices at funeral homes vary wildly, with direct cremation costing $500 at one funeral home and $3,000 down the street. (Federal law requires that prices be provided over the phone.)

We remove pacemakers because the batteries damage our crematories.

If I try to sell you a package that I say will save you money, ask for the individual price list anyway. Our packages often include services you don’t want or need.

Yes, technically I am an undertaker or a mortician. But doesn’t funeral director have a nicer ring to it?

Source

Ask Around Before Trying Askbury Referral Service

Tampa, Florida

Picture this, if you will. You move to a new city and find yourself in need of a funeral home. As a newbie in town, unfamiliar with the area, you simply do not know what to do. Ah, but wait, you see an advertisement on the side of a truck for AskBury Referral Service. After taking a closer look, you notice that they claim to be an independent service, not connected to any funeral home. The founder, Rose Dawson, simply wants to connect you with a reliable firm. She has put together a team of specialists that are available 24/7. Sounds pretty good, right?

True, the service is free. AskBury makes its money through referral fees paid by the funeral homes, which tends to diminish the possibility of non-bias. And as for the claim that the company is NOT a funeral home, cemetery, or cremation society—well, actually it is.

It turns out AskBury is connected to Brewer & Sons Funeral Homes, a family-owned business since 1965 with seven locations in west-central Florida, including two in Tampa.

AskBury lists the same P.O. Box in Brooksville as Family Owned Service Co., the business name for Brewer & Sons. Its bereavement specialists work out of office space attached to Brewer & Sons’ funeral home on Broad Street. It gets even better. General Manager Rose Dawson? She’s really Jill Grabowski, Brewer & Sons’ marketing director. Barry Brewer, president of the funeral homes, liked the idea of having a resource for people who are new to the area or unfamiliar with planning a funeral. Admittedly, he enjoys a bit of humor, having grown up in the burial business with the name, Barry. He envisioned AskBury catching on nationwide.

To help AskBury get going, he offered use of his P.O. Box and office space. He suggested the name, a twist on Ask Gary, a local medical and accident lawyer referral service.

Oh, and of course, on the AskBury list of recommended funeral homes – Brewer & Sons

Source

Illinois Funeral Director Marcee Dane Convicted of Desecration of Remains and Cremation Cover-Up

Marcee Dane

Chicago, Illinois

A funeral director accused of giving bereaved families the wrong cremated remains has pleaded guilty in a cover-up of the fraud and is expected to spend months behind bars.

Marcee Dane, 32, of Libertyville pleaded guilty to desecration of human remains, a violation of the Cemetery Protection Act and a Class 3 felony, a release from the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors said Dane tried to cover up a mix-up involving a family’s ashes by first lying to the family, then getting another person’s remains and sending the family those remains to cover the mistake.

Dane even went so far as to exhume cremains and remove an identification tag in case either family discovered the error and chose to exhume the cremains, authorities said.

Marcee Dane was a funeral director at Burnett Dane Funeral Home in Libertyville, where the scandal occurred.