Funeral business accused of faking remains

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Disturbing allegations are being brought against Alpha Funeral Service from a former funeral director.

In a complaint filed with the Marion County Prosecutor's office, David Eckert says he was told to create fake remains for lost cadavers. When he refused, Eckert says he was fired.

For nearly a decade, Curtis Rostad has been at the helm of Indiana's Funeral Directors Association. When he read the court filing Thursday, accusing Indianapolis Funeral Business Alpha of ordering its then funeral director, David Eckert, to create fake remains to make up for lost cadavers he was shocked.

"Just the allegation makes me sick," said Rostad.

According to the complaint, the issue began when the IU School of Medicine repeatedly asked Alpha about the remains of three cadavers it was using in its anatomical education program. They were lost remains, according to Eckert, which he then says he was ordered to fake by mixing other people's remains. Rostad explains what he thinks the allegations mean.

"Bodies were missing and to replace them someone was told to go in and remove a portion of cremated remains of other bodies, put them together to make it appear that there was enough cremated remains in other containers, to show that those were cremated bodies."

The allegation is unfathomable to ethical morticians, who view their jobs as sacred.

"This is what we go into this business for, is to take care of people and for someone to violate that sacred trust is something that we just don't like to hear about. We don't tolerate it," said Rostad.

24-Hour News 8 reached out to Alpha but our calls were not returned.

Rostad says the Indiana Funeral Directors Association represents over 3/4 of the state's funeral homes. Alpha Funeral Service is not a member.