Funeral Home Negligence: CA Mortician Loses License
Posted by
Laura BlattMay 17, 2007 12:32 AMA mortician's license was indefinitely suspended for improperly storing bodies, allowing them to decay in a warehouse without proper refrigeration. Anthony Villeggiante is co-owner of Abby Chapel of the Redwoods in Rohnert Park, California. The mortuary has now been shut down.
When state inspectors checked the warehouse in March, they found nine bodies. A swamp cooler and baby powder did nothing to protect these bodies from decay, the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau said.
Funeral Home Abuses Are Too Common
Sadly, Abby Chapel is not the first mortuary to improperly store and handle human remains. Cases of funeral home negligence or malpractice involve improper embalming of a decedent, losing the remains, mixing the ashes of several bodies during cremation and even taking organs and severing body parts from the deceased before burial or cremation, and are more common than one would ordinarily think. These are horrible crimes committed against grieving families, and it becomes important to locate and use reputable, compassionate funeral homes when the need arises.
Funeral Home Owners Arrested
As for Mr. Villeggiante, the story of his troubles does not end with the loss of his mortician's license. He was arrested on May 10, along with his partner, for allegedly embezzling from a nonprofit. They are charged with soliciting donations of cars for the nonprofit agency, selling the vehicles and keeping the funds for themselves, or keeping the cars for personal or business use, and providing false tax documents to the donors.