A Texas funeral home employee is facing charges related to the castration of a corpse after allegedly mutilating the body of a deceased man.
Texas funeral home employee arrested
The staffer allegedly chopped off the corpse’s penis and shoved the missing member into the dead man’s mouth.
According to an arrest affidavit, law enforcement initiated an investigation when the Texas Funeral Service Commission submitted a complaint to Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 1.
The complaint stemmed from a report by the funeral director at Claire Brothers Funeral Home, which oversees Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, where the alleged incident took place.
The funeral director stated that staff members informed her about 34-year-old Amber Paige Laudermilk, a licensed embalmer, who was accused of defiling a body.
Upon discovering that the deceased individual, identified as 58-year-old Charles Roy Rodriguez, was a registered sex offender, Laudermilk reportedly severed part of his genitals and placed it in his mouth.
A new employee who was working on another body in the facility allegedly witnessed the event.
The affidavit states that Laudermilk told the staffer, “You didn’t see anything.”
The recently hired morgue worker later informed authorities that Laudermilk’s demeanor appeared “threatening.”
When other employees approached to examine the body, Laudermilk allegedly covered the groin area with a sheet and remarked that the body had “a lot going on with him.”
Texas funeral home employee castrated dead sex offender
Public records indicate that Rodriguez had a prior conviction in 2008 for the sexual assault of a woman, for which he received a decade-long deferred adjudication sentence.
Constable Alan Rosen addressed the situation in a statement, saying that while the victim’s past was troubling, it did not justify the alleged actions of the embalmer.
“This case is about two troubled people: the victim who was a registered sex offender and the defendant, who is accused of viciously attacking his dead body,” Rosen stated.
“No matter what one thinks of his life, the law requires that he be treated with dignity in death.”
Rosen further noted that despite Rodriguez’s criminal history, it does not provide a rationale for desecrating his body.
“I don’t know the suspect’s past, but we have the utmost empathy for anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault or is the family or friend of someone who has been the victim of a sexual assault,” Rosen said.
“The facts clearly indicate she was angry, and I hope after this is resolved in the courts, she gets the help she needs.”
Laudermilk surrendered herself to authorities at the Harris County Jail on Monday and was later released on a $5,000 bond.
Her attorney has not yet provided a statement. According to KPRC, Laudermilk is no longer employed at the funeral home, and state officials intend to revoke or suspend her embalming license.
Multiple bodies found decomposing
In a separate case, two individuals were taken into custody following the discovery of 18 decomposing bodies at a Georgia funeral home.
The funeral home’s owner is facing multiple charges, including abuse of corpses and insurance fraud.
Authorities allege that an accomplice assisted in altering death certificates to secure additional insurance funds.
Chris Johnson, 39, and James Sirmans, 52, were arrested and charged with two counts of insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
This development follows a month-long investigation into the Johnson Funeral Home in Coffee County, where authorities initially charged Johnson with 17 counts of corpse abuse upon his arrest on October 27.
Sirmans was later taken into custody following an inquiry by the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.
Investigators claim that the pair manipulated the cause of death on official documents in 2022, leading to increased insurance payouts.
As a result, Johnson faces further charges, including theft by deception, forgery, and fraudulent submission of vital records.
Additional charges include theft by taking and six counts related to violations of vital records regulations.
Law enforcement officials, in cooperation with the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office, took Sirmans into custody without incident before booking him into the Coffee County Jail. He has since been released on bond.
The discovery of the decomposing bodies has left many families seeking answers.
Reports indicate that 16 of the recovered bodies have been identified, while two remain unidentified.
Families of the deceased, as well as previous clients of the funeral home, have been pressing authorities for more information regarding their loved ones’ remains.
According to local news outlet WALB, Johnson’s funeral home had listed 36 burials or cremations for the year 2024.
Half of the remains found at the location were linked to that same year. Authorities also discovered the bodies of two animals—a dog and a cat—on the premises and are working to confirm whether all remains found at the site are human.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation stated that efforts to identify the remaining bodies are ongoing.
Additionally, authorities are verifying cremation records to ensure the correct remains were returned to families, while also following up on other investigative leads related to the case.
