The Houston Police Department is reaching out to the public in an effort to find families connected to 57 unclaimed cremains housed previously at Richardson Mortuary. This plea for assistance comes after officers unearthed a total of 79 cremains back in April, as reported by KHOU. Damage from Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 had left the mortuary in disrepair, with the cremains found in subpar condition and many lacking proper identifying documentation.
Since the discovery, authorities have managed to successfully return 22 sets of remains to their respective families. The Houston Police Department's Major Offenders Division has devoted six months to rigorously trying to contact any potential next of kin associated with the cremains. As mentioned by Click2Houston, three cremation services were involved in the processing of the remains: Cremate Texas, Mainland Crematory, and MMC, excluding one set without a label to indicate where the services were conducted.
The public is being given a 30-day notice period to step forward and claim the remains. According to Houston Police Department, anyone with information or who believes they might be related to the deceased should contact HPD’s Major Offenders Division at 713-308-3100. The deadline for this appeal is December 12, post which unclaimed cremains will be handed over to Harris County Bereavement Services for ethical and respectful final interment, as reported by Click2Houston.
In defense of the mortuary's practices, attorney Rick Detoto stated, "It’s not unusual for a mortuary to have cremains that are fully paid for and not picked up by family." This statement obtained by Click2Houston continued to detail that the mortuary had attempted several times to contact relatives for pickup, assuring that the remains were always available to be claimed by family. Detoto represents the mortuary which has been a fixture at the same location, maintaining the same phone number for decades.
