Indiana suspends license of Jeffersonville funeral director following discovery of decomposing bodies
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — The state on Thursday suspended the license of a Jeffersonville funeral director who had more than 30 decomposing bodies inside his funeral home.
Randy Lankford will surrender his license and the license for Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center on Friday, according to the office of Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.
On July 1, the Clark County Coroner’s Office received a tip about poor conditions at the funeral home.
Jeffersonville police went to investigate and found 31 unrefrigerated bodies in body bags throughout the funeral home.
The bodies were in various stages of decomposition and some had been kept there for quite some time, with at least one of them having been there since March, court papers say.
Police also found the cremated remains of 17 people.
The Clark County Coroner took possession of the bodies and cremains and is in the process of identifying and returning them to their families.
On July 26, Rokita asked the State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service for an emergency suspension of Lankford’s license on the grounds that he “represents a clear and immediate danger to the public health, safety, or property” if allowed to continue to practice as an Indiana funeral director. The board approved Rokita’s request on Thursday.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Attorney General’s Licensing Enforcement Section at 1-800-382-5516.