Funeral home left 11 bodies to rot and mummify, California officials say. ‘Monstrous’

The owner of a now-closed Sun Valley funeral home faces charges that he left 11 bodies, including those of infants, to rot and mummify, California officials reported.

The remains were found by inspectors on two occasions at the Mark B. Allen Mortuary and Cremations Services, Inc., Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said in a news release.

Owner Mark B. Allen faces 22 criminal charges of improperly disposing of human remains, the release said.

“We’re fighting to get justice for these families in this incredibly sad and shocking situation,” Feuer said in a statement.

“11 people died, including very young children, and the funeral director hired to compassionately prepare the bodies for burial allegedly just let them rot, with neither the decency nor the dignity that all our loved ones deserve,” he said.

Feuer called the “monstrous mistreatment” of the bodies a second tragedy for the families.

Allen faces fines up to $110,000 and up to 11 years in jail if convicted, the release said.

An investigation of the funeral home began in 2020 when several clients complained the remains of their loved ones had not been released to them, the Los Angeles Times said.

Investigators found five bodies stored improperly at too-warm temperatures on one occasion, and on a second discovered six bodies with “foul and overwhelming” odors attracting flies, the publication reported.

The mortuary closed in 2021 after state officials revoked its license. Allen could not be reached for comment, the Los Angeles Times reported.

This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Funeral home left 11 bodies to rot and mummify, California officials say. ‘Monstrous’."