Families want answers about missing funeral money

BOSWELL, Ind. (AP) - A group of Indiana funeral directors wants the state to add more inspectors to monitor the industry as families question what happened to money clients paid a Boswell funeral director for preplanned services before his death.

James Shoemaker died in July 2009, and his Yuill-Shoemaker Funeral Home closed. The Journal & Courier reports the state learned after Shoemaker's death that he had not had an active license for 11 years.

Several families say they were forced to pay again for funerals that had been prepaid because Shoemaker left no record of the payments.

Curtis Rostad of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association says the state needs more inspectors to ensure such incidents don't occur.

The state has four inspectors who monitor funeral homes, cemeteries, barbers, cosmetologists, plumbers and auctioneers.