LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Jeffersonville funeral director has had his license suspended after police found 31 decomposing bodies improperly stored at a funeral home.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita obtained an emergency license suspension for Randy Ray Lankford and his facility Lankford Funereal Home and Family Center, according to a news release. Lankford agreed July 29 to surrender licenses for himself and his facility.
The State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service approved the suspensions on Thursday. The licenses are suspended indefinitely.
"Our office puts a high priority on protecting Hoosiers from harmful business practices and professional malpractice," Rokita said in a news release. "In this case, our Licensing Enforcement team acted swiftly to take the appropriate actions."
In July, Jeffersonville Police, Clark County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police found 31 deceased individuals, "some of which were in the advanced stages of decomposition" at the funeral home, along with the post-cremation remains of 16 people.
Police said the bodies were located "throughout the entire business in different locations," with some being there as early as March.
"Grieving families must be able to trust that their loved ones' remains will be respectfully and properly handled," Rokita said. "Further, the unsanitary conditions at this funeral home posed a clear and immediate threat to public health and safety."
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