The owner of a funeral home in southern Georgia, Chris Johnson, has been arrested and charged with abuse of more than a dozen corpses. After 18 bodies were found in various stages of decomposition at Johnson Funeral Home while serving an eviction notice, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist. Johnson was charged with 17 counts of abuse of a dead body, with more charges anticipated as the investigation continues. The bodies, some of which had been there for months, included a child’s body, along with a dead dog and cat. Johnson is denied bond and remains in local county jail, awaiting further legal proceedings.
In a related case in Colorado, funeral home owners Jon and Carie Hallford were ordered to pay nearly $1 billion to 125 people who sued them for failing to properly handle at least 190 bodies they were paid to cremate or bury. The couple pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and are facing up to 20 years in prison. Families of the deceased were horrified by the Hallfords’ negligence, as some received what they believed were cremated remains of their loved ones. The payout is meant to hold the Hallfords accountable, as it is unlikely they will comply with the judgment. The purpose of the lawsuit was not to seek money, but to ensure justice for the families affected by the Hallfords’ actions.
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