Jeffersonville funeral home director faces theft charges following discovery of decomposing bodies

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A Jeffersonville funeral home director who kept more than 30 decomposing bodies in his Clark County funeral home faces six charges of felony theft, prosecutors say.

According to court documents, Randy Lankford used money for the cremation of several people, but the remains he returned to those people’s families were not the right individuals.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office received a tip about poor conditions at the funeral home on July 1.

Jeffersonville police went to investigate and found 31 unrefrigerated bodies in body bags throughout the funeral home. Police also found the cremated remains of 17 people.

The bodies were in various stages of decomposition and some had been kept there for quite some time, with at least one of them having been there since March, court documents say.

Lankford’s license for the Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center was suspended Aug. 4.