Inside eerie abandoned funeral home that lost its reputation after huge scandal

09 June 2024 , 06:08

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Images from inside a disgraced funeral home show what it was like before it was abandoned (Image: mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)

Eerie images taken inside a now abandoned funeral home that was shut down after a scandal echo a time when it was the pillar of its community.

The images from within the building include polaroid pictures taken of someone's relative laid to rest in a casket, the ashes of a man called Lewis Melton from 1997 and an odd room with a hook protruding from the ceiling. They provide a snapshot of what the funeral home, a family run institution, was like when it was a thriving business serving local residents in their darkest moments, before greed got the better of them and they stole thousands off their clients.

Polaroids taken when the funeral home was still in operation were found by the explorer (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)

In Georgia, USA, the funeral home ran for over 50 years but was eventually shut down by local authorities when it was discovered they had been stealing money from customers, failed to renew their appropriate licenses and were hiring untrained staff to do sensitive and specialist work. The incident rocked the community who had entrusted their deceased loved ones into the care of the home and it has sat abandoned ever since.

These new images were captured by an urban explorer, Leland Kent, who found the home eerily in tact. Known online as Abandoned Southeast he said on his blog: "For over 50 years, this family-owned funeral home was a pillar of a southern community, offering comfort and solace to grieving families. The façade of compassion and care, however, concealed a sinister truth. The unsuspecting clients had no idea that their trusted funeral home was exploiting their grief and fragility for selfish gain.

The home was shut down after it was discovered they had been stealing money and hiring untrained staff (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)

"In addition, the funeral home also failed to renew its license and hired unlicensed staff. As news broke of the funeral home's illegal activities, shock and disbelief sent shockwaves throughout the town. Many families who entrusted their loved one's final arrangements to the funeral home now feel betrayed, exploited, and taken advantage of.

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"The state's investigation revealed that the funeral home had operated without a proper licence for several years, skirting regulations and cutting corners to maximise profits. The owners shamelessly pocketed thousands of dollars from grieving clients, leaving them financially devastated and emotionally shattered.

The equipment left behind in the abandoned funeral home give a snap shot of what it was once like (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)

He continued: "The once-respected funeral home was now disgraced, shunned, and denounced by the town it once served. Families who had been defrauded came forward with their heart-wrenching stories, recounting how they had been manipulated and deceived during their most vulnerable moments.

"The state authorities permanently closed the funeral home and revoked its licence in 2010, holding the owners responsible for their actions. The closure marked the end of an era of greed and deception. With the closure of the funeral home, the local community lost a longstanding institution. This tragedy affected the families who entrusted their loved ones to its care, as well as the bereaved staff and the wider community. Despite its once cherished status, the funeral home lies abandoned today, slowly deteriorating."

The scandal rocked the community, which had entrusted the home with the deceased relatives (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)

The story echoes the one of the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors Ltd funeral home in the UK that recently got shut down after it was discovered they had failed to properly care for and store bodies, with reports of decomposing remains being left in unsuitable conditions. Families of deceased were given ashes that they later found out did not belong to their loved ones and the company was accused of misrepresenting services and overcharging grieving families.

Many creepy objects and pictures were found left behind after all these years (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)

This scandal sparked outrage and demands for stricter regulatory oversight in the funeral industry to protect the dignity of the deceased and ensure families receive honest and respectful service.

Cecilia Adamou