Sacramento funeral home shut down for mishandling remains

State authorities have suspended the license of a funeral home in Sacramento -- effectively shutting it down -- after receiving complaints that bodies were unaccounted for or remains were not delivered.

The California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau said it suspended the license for Advanced Care Funeral and Cremation Services on Oct. 9 after determining that the business mishandled remains in at least five cases. When the bureau investigated complaints, it discovered that remains in funeral coolers had not been cremated.

"He essentially violated the law and violated the trust of the people," said Russ Heimerich, spokesman for the state agency.

Lisa Evans told Fox 40 Sacramento that the remains of her brother Morris Carruth had gone missing for two months. She said no one at the company was able to help her.

State officials contacted funeral home employee Jermaine Odom, who admitted having the remains at his home.

"I'm not going to make any excuses," Odom said. "The funeral process is a complicated process. I'm not making any excuses. I think I did as much as I could with what I had allowed to me. I'm only one person."

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-- Fox 40 Sacramento