April 4 , 2008

Funeral Director Ignites Cremation Scandal in Mississippi

JACKSON, MISS. -Mark Seepe has a bit of explaining to do.

Two more people have come forward describing deplorable conditions at the crematory, the Clarion Ledger reported. They claim that Seepe, the owner of Mark Seepe Funeral Directors & Crematorium, located at 245 West Lorenz Boulevard, carelessly disposed of cremated remains.

The employees allege that bones and ashes were heaped together in buckets and other containers. Josh Hatten, a mortuary science student at Holmes Community College who worked at the facility, said that Seepe even delivered cremated remains to a family when their loved one's body was still lying on the embalming table. read more...

Man Sues Cemetery After Falling into Grave

SAN ANTONIO - A man who fell into a grave while acting as a pallbearer says he was seriously injured when the casket fell on top of him. Now, he is suing the cemetery.

Joseph Anthony Rivas recently filed a lawsuit in Bexar County accusing Mission Park Funeral Chapels South and its president, Robert D. Tips, of negligence. Rivas, who was serving as a pallbearer at the funeral of Dorothy Smith, accuses the cemetery of making the grave too large. read more...

Burglar Plays Dead at Funeral Home

MADRID, SPAIN - A burglar who broke into a funeral home tried to elude the police by playing dead, The Associated Press reported.

The 23-year-old man, who was not named in press reports, was found at Crespo Funeral Home lying on a table in a glass chamber used for viewings. When cops noticed his unkempt clothes and the fact that he was breathing, they knew they had their man. read more...

Feds Confiscate Gravestones in Widening Probe

EDGEWATER PARK, NJ - Employees at Beverly National Cemetery apparently kept discarded tombstones and regularly gave them away to people for personal use in the 1970s and 1980s, federal investigators told the Burlington County Times.

Jo Schuda, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said the practice might have dated back to the 1930s even though the government did not approve it. read more...

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