Funeral Home Scandal: Organ Trafficking, Cremation Fraud at Lamb Funeral Services

Abstract

Mortuary Law Project: Funeral Service Scandal The scandal Lawrence Lamb is the man behind the establishment of "The Lamb Funeral Home in Pasadena" after purchasing the Pasadena Crematorium in [City, State], in 1929. Laurieanne Lamb Sconce and her husband Jerry bought this family business from the father in 1985. The business delivered in the funeral services industry reporting massive growth due to its fair prices for funeral-related services, especially on cremation. At the age of 26 years, David Sconce (Laurieanne son) joined the family business after failing to maneuver in any other profession. At this time, David started cremation services at $55 per body, which was half of what was charged by the competitors, making this family business enjoy a competitive advantage and thus become an economic giant within California. It is a move that became the origin of "The Lamb Funeral Services" downfall as the organization experienced fires on November 23, 1986, after the furnace chimney clogged due to excessive body pack for cremation. According to Johnson (1988), it is a misdemeanor to cremate more than one body at a time under the State Health and Safety Code. Unfortunately, David Sconce ignored such rules governing the cremation industry, citing that there was no difference in creating one or more persons as, after all, they had died. Where and when it took place After joining the family business, David and his parents expanded the Lamb Funeral Home business by creating Coastal International Eye and Tissue Bank. The bank ensured the facilitation of the already started side hustles David engaged with of organ trafficking. David Sconce had no value for the dead and thus removed some of their parts without the consent of the relatives, with his mother forging the signatures of family members if not voluntarily offered. Unfortunately, David Sconce unconsciously harvested dead person's hearts, brains, and eyes and sold them on the black market for up to $95 a pop. Further manipulation of the dead bodies remains expressed by David's extracting gold teeth and selling them to a local jeweler at $6000 per month. It is a deal that saw David and the family business enjoying millions of unjustified lump sums without observation of professional ethics governing the funeral service industry. Fortunately, the light to uncover the evils became a reality on November 23, 1986, when the first fire hit the Lamb Funeral Home cremation site burning the facility to the ground. It is imperative to note that at the time of the fire, the Lamb Funeral home used to cremate 19 bodies in a single chimney every time, which was unlawful. However, what was supposed to enhance the downfall of this evil funeral home led to an advancement opportunity as David Sconce's shifter cremation operation to a metal warehouse in Hesperia. At this time, the cremation business, whose previous record encountered credibility doubt, operated under a ceramic factory license adding up to the unlawful character of David. Fortunately, after two months of operation in the "Ceramic factory," authorities became suspicious that David operated other businesses besides the ceramic service as the smoke from the chimney brought out fresh human burning leading to the discovery of illegal cremation services in January 1987. At this time, David Cremation facility operated under a 24/7 base making the neighborhood inhabitable due to excessive burning bodies and smells causing alarm. The Statutes the Crime fall under and the Legal Repercussions Assistant Fire Chief Will Wentworth responded to the "Ceramic factory" burning body smell allegation with the investigation of the facility. Inside the facility, the chief opened one of the Kilns expected to be burning ceramic-related materials, only for a human leg to fall out while still burning. Besides the tightly packed burning bodies within the factory's ovens, the chief also found trash cans filled to the brim with ashes and prosthetic devices expressing David’s unlawful and inhumane nature that led such a reputable funeral home to ignore human dignity associated with funeral-related services that demanded respect. It is a crime that ignores the State Health and Safety Code demanding funeral service providers respect human dignity by cremating one body at a time. Based on this statute, it is a misdemeanor to cremate more than one body at a time which David Sconce exercised to enjoy a massive volume of service from...