What began as complaints about a foul odor in an industrial Las Vegas corridor has unraveled into one of the city’s most disturbing funeral home scandals. The Nevada Board of Funeral and Cemetery Services has revoked the license of McDermott’s Funeral Home and Cremation Services after investigators discovered 146 bodies stored in unsanitary conditions, some for nearly a year.
Michael Trotta, owner of The VinylDude.com, said he first noticed “It was just like very strong and just a pungent dirt-type smell” coming from the funeral home at 2121 Western Avenue near Sahara Avenue. The odor continued for months until authorities removed 146 bodies from the facility in August, according to 8 News Now.
Grisly Discovery Reveals Systematic Neglect
The inspection reports paint a disturbing picture of neglect and unsanitary conditions. As detailed by 8 News Now, inspectors found “three coolers containing numerous bodies that were leaking blood and bodily fluids.” During one inspection, officials discovered “luids of a body… had dripped onto a body on a lower shelf and onto the floor.” One body was found in a cooler without a lid, leaving the face exposed. KRDO reported that in one case, remains were left uncremated for 252 days, and another family waited nearly 11 months for a cremation.
Families Devastated by Conditions
For Dorothy Duran, whose mother’s remains were among those found, the discovery has been devastating. “It just tore me… a lot… mentally, physically, emotionally… I haven’t even been able to sleep,” Duran told KRDO. Keline Baez learned her mother had been kept in a cooler above 80 degrees with blood splatters and walls that were taped. She described the conditions as robbing her mother of dignity, noting that her body already had mold on it.
History of Violations
McDermott’s Funeral Home and Cremation Service has faced complaints dating back to 2021. Funeral director Chris Grant had previously received two public reprimands in August 2021 for failing to transport a body to the facility in a timely manner and for cremating a body before the family could pray over it. Grant told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that a complaint over the storage of eight bodies led to the revocation, though the scale was far larger. In a June letter to the funeral board, Grant acknowledged having up to 100 bodies at his business.
Transfer and Identification Process
All 146 bodies have been moved to Davis Funeral Home, where officials confirm each one has now been identified. Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse acknowledged the overwhelming scale of the situation in a statement, asking for patience as staff navigates the difficult process. “The team at Davis is working through each case with care, compassion, and urgency. However, as you can imagine, the scale of this situation is overwhelming,” as per 8 News Now.
Regulatory Response and Legal Questions
The Nevada Board of Funeral and Cemetery Services reviewed four complaints over two days before voting to revoke McDermott’s license. As mentioned by Yahoo News, Metro police were not conducting an investigation into the storage, and it remains unclear if the attorney general’s office will pursue additional claims beyond the four complaints that led to the shutdown…