What happened at Richardson Mortuary? Deplorable conditions of bodies at funeral home sparks backlash post viral video 

A funeral home in Houston, Texas called Richardson Mortuary is trending online after the deplorable condition of bodies was discovered in the facility following a recent stabbing incident.

According to ABC13 reports, Tamara McGruder-Crooks and her siblings visited the funeral home on the morning of April 11, 2025, as they were concerned about their mother and uncles’ bodies being improperly kept. And their worst fears reportedly turned out to be true.

McGruder-Crooks told the outlet that she “opened up the casket” and her mother’s body allegedly had “gnats in her face.” She recorded a video of the same and later seemingly found 10 more bodies lying in the open, exposed without air-conditioning, and improperly preserved.

"It's bodies in caskets, boxes, plastic bags. It's no A/C, it's gnats. It smells like rotten blood," she claimed.

However, things escalated when one of the employees at Richardson Mortuary reportedly confronted them and asked them to leave, while they were taking a video.

When Tamara and her siblings refused, the worker allegedly “stabbed” her brother in the stomach, who later drove himself to the hospital and got treated for minor, non-life-threatening injuries.

Police were later called to the scene to assess the condition of the funeral home further. Meanwhile, Tamara McGruder-Crooks uploaded the video on social media which has now stirred a backlash.

The unidentified employee who allegedly stabbed Tamara’s brother claimed self-defense to the authorities. The DA has declined to press charges.

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More about the conditions at Richardson Mortuary

The stabbing incident from last Friday as well as the neglectful state of the corpses at Richardson Mortuary are currently under investigation. The facility is located on Brookfield Drive, at the intersection of Almeda Genoa Road and Almeda Road in southwest Houston.

“I feel hurt because they have not one, but they have two of our family members. My mother and my uncle,” Tamara McGruder-Crooks shared.

She mentioned they went to check on her mother’s body ahead of her funeral on April 12 as they had prior issues with the owner of the funeral home. However, upon their arrival, they discovered unacceptable conditions of the bodies.

“I said, ‘I'm not gonna leave without my mom's body.’ And he said, ‘You're gonna leave,’” she shared about the encounter with the employee.

“They're on stretchers. They have gnats. They're in boxes. It smells horrible. They’re inside of caskets. They’re uncovered. They're naked,” Tamara added about the condition of the corpses.

Meanwhile, people online responded to her videos. A woman named Murita Brown told KPRC2 that one of the bodies in McGruder-Crooks’ video was that of her grandmother, Bonnie Ashley.

“She was a loving person. She fed everybody. She’ll give you the clothes off her back. And she was a fighter. She was in a wheelchair. She was paralyzed. To see her arm kind of like draped off that stretcher, it’s just, it’s heartbreaking,” Brown shared.

She further told ABC13 that her grandmother was “supposed to be cremated already” and the family was “waiting on her ashes.” However, they hadn't heard back from Richardson Mortuary.

“It’s a shock because he [the owner] took care of my grandfather in 2013 and he did an awesome job, but to fail us now," Brown added.

Likewise, Demetrious Riley-Sylvester told Fox 26 that they too thought her brother, who passed away in February, was cremated, and she was waiting on the ashes. However, they’ve now realized he was being treated as “trash.”

“No respect for the dead and no respect for the families,” Demetrious added.

According to KPRC 2, a Harris County law enforcement officer named Smokie Phillips spoke with Richardson Mortuary’s owner who assured that he made arrangements to transfer the bodies to an air-conditioned facility.

The owner also claimed he was currently in the hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Meanwhile, Houston Police Department Captain Jim Dale told the press that there were “bodies laid out” on the “ground” and on “cardboard.” He also mentioned that the owner of the funeral home could face criminal charges such as “abuse of corpses.”

Notably, Richardson Mortuary had bodies of deceased individuals who were yet to be cremated, buried, or prepared for funerals.

According to the Texas Funeral Service Commission, the funeral home building was damaged by Hurricane Beryl and was under renovation.

Scott Bingaman, executive of the Texas Funeral Service Commission, shared with ABC7 that they were made aware of the videos around 3 pm local time on Friday and got in touch with the authorities.

He also described Richardson Mortuary as having “typical funeral home operations” and claimed to have sent an inspector to look further into the matter. Bingman added that at least 14 complaints were filed against the facility in the last decade.