A Texas landlord came across a harrowing scene on Tuesday when he walked into a vacated funeral home and found 8 rotting bodies.
The Johnson Family Mortuary in Fort Worth, which was abandoned nearly two weeks ago, had no refrigeration and no employees on the premises. Police later arrived in response to the landlord's call and found the bodies, which were "aged from infant to adult" and in "varying stages of decomposition, some quite advanced," Fort Worth Police spokesman Raymond Bush told WFAA-TV.
Twin brothers Dondre and Derrick Johnson, the funeral home's owners, said a miscommunication led the police to carry out a search warrant on the property.
The brothers were apparently ordered to vacate the premises after failing to pay rent. Dondre Johnson said that was also due to misunderstanding that got out of hand, according to the station.
"I've been in the funeral service over 25 years and I'm going to continue to serve our community," Dondre Johnson said.
But there are five pending complaints against the brothers' business, according to the state Funeral Services Commission. Another mortuary owned by the Johnsons was shut down in 2010 due to failure to pay $13,000 in penalty fees for violations, WFAA-TV reported.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office is currently working on identifying the bodies.
Lupe Mata, who held a service for her sister at the funeral home last month, said her sister was supposed to be cremated but she has yet to receive the remains. She now wonders if one of the dead bodies is her beloved sibling.
"We don't know," Mata told the station. "It's kind of awful not knowing and having to wait."
Fort Worth police are investigating the business to see if criminal action took place. So far no arrests have been made.
Dondre said he plans on opening another funeral home in a different location.
