Families question cremated remains after New Albany funeral home shut down for violations

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Families are coming forward to ask questions about what happened to their loved ones at a southern Indiana funeral home shut down by the state.

The Indiana State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service suspended the license for Spring Valley Funeral Home on East Spring Street in New Albany, calling it "a clear and immediate danger to public health."

Gary Long is among those reaching out to WDRB about his experience. He said he had an unsettling feeling as soon as he arrived at the funeral home.

His brother, Thomas, had died in May, and the family entrusted the New Albany funeral home with his final arrangements. But when Long and his wife pulled up to the building, they were met with a disturbing sight.

"When we got there and pulled in, I saw the three broken windows and I told my wife, 'Man, this looks like it's closed,'" Long said.

Once inside, Long noticed a foul odor. His concerns deepened when he approached his brother's casket.

"When I got to my brother's casket, I kept getting gnats. They were flying all around him, and I kept getting them off of his head," Long recounted.

After the funeral, Long's family made several attempts to claim Thomas's ashes, but their calls went unanswered. It wasn't until a month and a half later that they finally received what they were told were his remains. Now, Long has serious doubts.

"After the story came out, we really felt that ain't his ashes," he said.

Larry Emery, who lost his son William in April, shares similar concerns. Emery's family paid the funeral home upfront, but communication soon ceased. When Emery finally reached funeral director Trevor Lytle, he learned his son's cremation had been inexplicably delayed.

Emery said after two weeks they hadn't cremated him yet. "I didn't understand that," he said.

Emery eventually received remains, but now fears they may not belong to his son.

"My concern now, which is all of our concern now, is if that's his ashes or not," he said.

In an email, Indiana's State Licensing Agency stated that funeral director Trevor Lytle had been instructed to turn over all unclaimed cremated remains to the Floyd County Coroner's office. However, Coroner Greg Routin said he was unaware of this order.

"We just got apprised of the situation today," Routin said. "We are going to take charge of what remains they have there, and we're going to work as the Floyd County Coroner's office to get the remains back to the families as quickly as possible."

Routin noted that identifying the remains would be nearly impossible, as DNA is destroyed during cremation.

WDRB made several attempts to reach the funeral home's director for comment, but calls were not returned.

Among the violations that inspectors cited when they suspended Spring Valley's license:

A strong smell of decomposition in the embalming room
A decedent that passed away June 17 but remained unembalmed as of June 28
Blood, flies and other fluids found on the surfaces of the embalming room
Six large medical waste containers stored in the embalming room
The former owner still lives above the funeral home and, despite lacking the proper licensing, still has access to the facility
The cremated remains of 15 people were being stored at the facility, all of whom died before 2024

"We are so sorry this has happened to them," Routin said. "As a community, it should have never happened."

Long urges others to be cautious when choosing a funeral home. "If you're going to plan for your funeral, you really need to check into the place and know what you're getting," he advised.

Routin said families can call the Floyd County Coroner's Office at 812-948-5478 and press # 1 to leave a message. They can also email him at Groution@floydcounty.in.gov.

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