Disturbing Discovery at Houston Funeral Home: 10 Bodies Found, Customer Stabbed Amid Growing Outrage

Authorities are investigating Richardson Mortuary in Houston, where 10 bodies were found unrefrigerated, amid heightened scrutiny following a stabbing incident involving a customer.

Houston, Texas — A grim investigation is underway after police confirmed at least 10 human bodies were discovered inside Richardson Mortuary, a funeral home in southwest Houston, with no working air conditioning and visible signs of improper storage.

Houston police responded to the mortuary on Brookfield Drive around 11:55 a.m. after a funeral home worker allegedly stabbed a customer who began filming inside the facility. The stabbing victim, whose injury was described as minor, reportedly drove himself to the hospital. Prosecutors declined to file charges, citing the worker's claim of self-defense.

The confrontation occurred after Tamara McGruder and her brother visited the funeral home to check on the remains of their mother and uncle. McGruder said their growing suspicions prompted them to look for answers themselves.

"I opened the casket, and she had gnats in her face," McGruder told local reporters. Videos she captured inside the facility reveal disturbing conditions: bodies laid out on tables, others wrapped in plastic or placed in caskets, all within a space lacking proper refrigeration.

"It smells like rotten blood," she said, describing the unbearable conditions.

The incident quickly went viral as videos circulated across social media, prompting other families to visit the mortuary to verify the status of their loved ones.

"I saw a woman in purple and said, ‘That looks like my grandmother,’" said Murita Brown, who believes her grandmother Bonnie Ashley was supposed to be cremated weeks ago.

“This was March 21, and we’ve been waiting on her ashes ever since,” Brown added.

Scott Bingaman, executive director of the Texas Funeral Service Commission, said the agency became aware of the videos around 3 p.m. and immediately contacted law enforcement. He acknowledged that while it’s common for funeral homes to store bodies on tables temporarily, the lack of air conditioning and the presence of gnats raised significant red flags.

An inspector was dispatched to the mortuary to assess the conditions. Bingaman confirmed the funeral home has a history of complaints—14 over the last decade—though he could not clarify how many were substantiated.

Harris County Precinct 7 Constable Smokie Phillips, who knows the mortuary’s owner personally, said the owner is currently hospitalized after suffering a heart attack. According to Phillips, the owner has agreed to allow other funeral homes to retrieve and move the bodies to proper refrigerated storage.

Authorities are now considering criminal charges, including potential abuse of a corpse.

“You could look at the abuse of a corpse, things of that nature, but we’ll know more as we go through it,” said Houston Police Capt. Jim Dale.

As the investigation continues, grieving families are left searching for answers—and, in many cases, justice for how their loved ones were treated in death.

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