Aug. 4 (UPI) -- An Ohio mortuary services company was shut down by the state after inspectors found unrefrigerated bodies, some covered in mold and others in worse shape.
Premium Mortuary Services LLC in Carlisle, Ohio, had seven human bodies in coolers that hadn't been working for several days, according to the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. The bodies hadn't been embalmed, either.
"This is morally wrong. They should be ashamed," said Misty Rose Blevins, whose mother, Tammy Lynn Blevins, was cremated at the company in July.
According to WCPO, funeral board inspector Troy Seehase got a tip about the funeral service running afoul of regulations and performed an inspection. When he arrived, he said he found three bodies, not yet embalmed, in cardboard containers outside of a cooling device.
The broken coolers in the facility reached temperatures in the 60s. Outside of the refrigerators, room temperatures were in the 90s. Seehase also said he noticed a strong odor of decomposition in the air.
The facility had 18 bodies in these conditions, including three children.
One of the bodies had a face covered in mold. Another had "absorbed what appeared to be oil from the fat of the body breaking down," according to a report issued by the funeral board.
"I can't comment as to why things went on as long as they did," said funeral board president Jon W. Rettig Sr. "The investigation will be continuing."
