Houston funeral home ordered to cease all operations after 10 bodies found without air conditioning
Man recovering after being stabbed following discovery of bodies
HOUSTON -- Authorities are ordering a southwest Houston funeral home to cease all operations on Monday after the remains of at least 10 people were found in shocking conditions.
The Texas Funeral Service Commission inspected the Richardson Mortuary on Friday when the bodies were first discovered exposed and without air conditioning. They found the mortuary did not meet building, health and safety codes.
In the cease-and-desist letter, the commission also cited the owners' fraudulent, unprofessional and deceptive conduct.
Police were originally called to the mortuary just before noon on Friday, after a funeral home worker allegedly stabbed a customer who'd begun filming bodies. The video captured bodies lying on tables and others wrapped in plastic or inside caskets.
SEE ORIGINAL REPORT: Man stabbed after posting video of bodies found exposed at mortuary, HPD says
In the letter on Monday, the state of Texas listed the following steps the facility must take to reopen:
Within 14 days of receiving this notice, the commission expects the following:
1. Your establishment must comply with TEX. OCC. CODE 651.351;
2. Your establishment must pass an inspection by the Commission;
3. Your establishment must provide a list of all names of licensed embalmers and funeral directors, past and present, that were/are employed at Richardson Mortuary from April 2024 to April 2025;
4. Your establishment must submit a copy of all documented evidence for all decedents that your establishment provided services for to include, but not limited to, embalming, cremation and funeral services from April 2024 to April 2025; and
5. Your establishment must provide a list of names for all decedents and their next of kin and the name of the transport company(ies) and establishment(s) used to remove and store remains from April 11-14, 2025.
Meanwhile, Tamara and Davon McGruder, the siblings who originally went to the funeral home because they'd grown suspicious about where it was being stored, are still reeling from that day. An unidentified funeral home worker eventually confronted the siblings and ordered them to leave. When they refused, the worker allegedly stabbed Davon McGruder in the stomach.
ABC Houston affiliate KTRK confirmed that Davon McGruder remains in the hospital, and that the injury was more serious than first thought. Tamara McGruder spoke on the phone to KTRK from the hospital, and said her brother is still recovering.
HPD is still actively investigating the stabbing case for possible charges. It is also looking into charges of possible tampering with a corpse for the conduct of funeral home workers and its owner.
KTRK drove by the facility on Monday, and the parking lot was blocked off. There was also no activity at the funeral home. Calls and a door knock at the listed address for Mike Richardson, the owner of the funeral home, were unanswered. Friends say he is in the process of obtaining a lawyer.
