Chambers Funeral Home in Riverdale faces closure over cremation backlog

[WhiteTara]

Source: Washington Post

A Prince George's County funeral home has lost its license after a state inspector discovered what appeared to be 40 bodies intended for cremation haphazardly piled in body bags stacked in its garage.

The Maryland State Board of Morticians & Funeral Directors suspended the license of the Chambers Funeral Home & Crematorium in Riverdale on Monday. The emergency suspension affects two morticians as well as the company's business license.

snip

In late April, a state investigator made an unannounced inspection to check on "deficiencies noted at a previous inspection."

The inspector was reviewing a refrigerated area located in a garage structure that houses the crematory. The inspector noticed a "large pile, approximately 12 by 12 feet, of body bags containing human remains strewn on the floor of the garage in front of a removal van. There was visible leakage from the body bags as well as a pungent odor."

The inspector's notes said an unnamed funeral home employee said, "Don't get upset about all the bodies in there."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050405545.html

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at first I thought that I had gotten hold of really old news...then I realized the last crematorium had the bodies stacked up in the yard as well.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Good lord! The people handling Dad's cremation better be doing things right....

[saracat]

2. Wow. Just wow. And they think they can identify the bodies by

the process of elimination? If that were anyone in my family that would certainly not be good enough.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. This is in my neighborhood!

Effing creepy!

[Javaman]

4. "pungent odor." I bet. nt

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. Why was this moved to GD? The story was in today's WP...

I can understand moving it to Maryland; but not GD...