A Houston embalmer has been charged with the felony abuse of a corpse after a disturbing incident at a funeral home. Amber Paige Laudermilk, 34, allegedly mutilated the body of 58-year-old Charles Roy Rodriguez by severing his genitals and performing other acts of desecration on the body. According to KHOU, Laudermilk is a licensed embalmer and is now wanted by authorities following the event which took place on February 7.
Not yet in custody, Laudermilk's alarming actions allegedly occurred after a memorandum reached her ears about the deceased man's status as a registered sex offender. Working at Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, according to a report by Click2Houston, the embalmer was in the company of an embalming student at the time she committed the alleged act after learning Rodriguez had a history of sexual assault. Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said, "This is a vicious, brutal attack of a corpse. The person's already dead,” highlighting the unexpected and shockingly disrespectful nature of the act.
Rodriguez's criminal past includes a charge of sexual assault and a required registration as a sex offender. After his death from natural causes at a Houston hospital in January, his remains became the subject of this grotesque event. Court records detailed by Click2Houston indicate that Laudermilk severed Rodriguez's penis and placed it in his mouth before his body was to be cremated.
While the Texas Funeral Service Commission and other employees remained silent for days, overshadowed by threats from Laudermilk, the incident was eventually reported. Funeral Service Commission Executive Director Scott Bingaman noted, “Dealing with the loss of a loved one is an incredibly difficult time and there are predators who exploit this vulnerability.” Bingaman also noted that this was the only criminal abuse of corpse case in the state in the past two years and urged families to carefully research mortuary services, including checking licenses. The state is now pursuing the suspension and potential revocation of Laudermilk's embalming license, according to Bingaman's statement obtained by Click2Houston.
Professionals like Jason Altieri, CEO and owner at Southeast Texas Crematory, expressed the gravity of maintaining ethics in their line of work. In a statement obtained by Click2Houston, Altieri stressed the importance of serving families with integrity and recommended that they be vigilant when choosing funeral services. "It's unfortunate because it makes us all really look bad," Altieri said, referring to the negative impact such incidents can have on the industry's reputation.
