Crematory Scandals Are Just as Hurtful When the Victims Are Pets

Over the last few years, the deathcare profession has been rocked by more than a few crematory scandals. Whether driven by greed, laziness, or a combination of both, the owners of these establishments chose to betray the families who had entrusted loved ones to them. They treated bodies with disrespect and impropriety, accepted money for services they did not perform, and left families with bags of concrete and a hefty dose of trauma and regrets.

While memories of 2023’s Return to Nature discovery and last month’s Davis Mortuary disgrace may come to mind, they’re far from the only recent cremation-related crimes — they’re just the ones involving human remains. 

A terrible timeline

Pet crematories across the country have made headlines this year for the exact same reasons as Return to Nature, Davis Mortuary, and of course, Tri-State Crematory — leading families to believe that they held the cremated remains of a loved one whose body had actually been improperly disposed:

April 2025 | Eternity Pet Memorial, PIttsburgh, PA: Owner Patrick Vereb was charged with “improper disposal of ‘thousands of dogs and cats’ for which owners paid for cremations, burials, returns of ashes, and other services, stealing over $650,000 from customers between 2021 and 2024.” 

April 2025 | Loving Pet Care Crematory Services, Catonsville, MD: Owners Rodney and Yalanda Ward face charges of felony theft and conspiracy to commit theft plus 56 counts of malicious destruction of property after pet owners reported paying “up to $500 for bags of sand and concrete, rather than their animals’ ashes” over the last three years.

August 2025 | Compassionate Care Pet Crematory Services, Kingsland, GA: Owner Nader “John” Rayan and his wife Amanda were arrested and charged with two counts of theft by deception after “mishandling” pet remains. They may face additional counts, as investigators are still uncovering animal remains on their property. In 2016, Nader Rayan was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to organized fraud and other charges related to his mishandling of human remains and charging for services he didn’t perform at a Florida funeral home and cemetery.

September 2025 | Peaceful Memories, LLC, Colorado Springs, CO: Animal Law Enforcement and local police are currently investigating this pet crematory and its owner after discovering animal remains in a storage unit rented in the name of crematory owner Marcus Williams. 

Same, but different

Pets often become as beloved by their owners as any other member of the family, and their deaths are equally mourned. Likewise, more and more people are opting for private cremation services or supervised interment in a dedicated pet cemetery over the traditional backyard burial or mass disposition in an animal services incinerator. The demand for professional pet funeral services has skyrocketed, especially in the United States and Canada. According to multiple sources, North America dominated the pet funeral services market in 2024 with a 36.89% share of a $1.97 billion global market size. That number is predicted to grow to $3.75 billion by 2030.

This rapidly expanding market, the potential for a lucrative revenue stream, and the similarities of pet cremation services to those offered to humans is leading more and more funeral homes and crematories to extend their expertise to pet families. Many pet parents want the same opportunities (and products, services, and venues) to celebrate and memorialize the lives of their littlest loved ones as they would their human counterparts. It also doesn’t hurt that pet cremators are operated in the same way as those intended for humans, and the two machines can be purchased from and serviced by the same suppliers.

Equal grief, not equal justice

One other commonality — and perhaps the most important one — is that the grief animal owners experience after the loss of a pet. And just like the families who were deceived by the Hallfords at Return to Nature or Brent Marsh at Tri-State Crematory, pet families are having to deal with the compounded grief, anger, and insult of knowing that the remains of their beloved animal were not treated with dignity and respect.

“This has been a nightmare for me. I can’t sleep. At nighttime, when I close my eyes, I see my dog, laying on the side of the road,” Beverly Rassen told WBALTV. Rassen had hired Loving Care Pet Funerals in Catonsville, Maryland to handle the cremation of her dog, Rusty. 

A woman attending a community-wide memorial for the thousands of pets mishandled by Patrick Vereb of Eternity Pet Memorial in Pittsburgh shared similar sentiments.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God, oh my God, he took my baby, and threw him away.’ It’s not right, how could somebody do that, how could somebody do that,” she said, according to KDKA News.

Although the majority of families who find themselves victims of criminal crematory operators demand justice, there’s no “abuse of a corpse” equivalent for animals. The most they can hope for from the court system are financial counts like those listed above — usually some form of theft or fraud — and perhaps some destruction charges that treat their pets like property.

But at least one group of pet parents is working to change that. Members of the Facebook group “The Victims of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial” are organizing petitions advocating for stronger regulations for pet deathcare. Two of these victims have also filed a class action lawsuit seeking financial damages from Vereb. Still, no amount of money will make up for the pain Vereb and the other crematory owners caused these pet parents.

“The fact is, no matter what has happened with their own bodies,” one of Vereb’s victims said during the memorial vigil, “the love you have for those pets is a sign of their ongoing life with you.”

Heat Wave Replaces Crematory | FFFW 242

I think we’re nearing the end of this heatwave, and that’s plenty of reason to celebrate – so celebrate we shall. Also, this is the last Friday of June and next week is the 4th of July! One of the greatest holidays lands on a Friday this year?!?! That’s Incredible!

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Cremation Chamber Refuses to Fire Up, Says, “Honestly? The Sun’s Got This One”

NASHVILLE, TN — With Middle Tennessee temperatures reaching a soul-evaporating 109 degrees this week and humidity levels described by meteorologists as “suffocating at best,” local cremation equipment is staging what appears to be a full-on mutiny.

“Our retort just sat there blinking like, ‘Y’all serious right now?’” said Jeremy Polk, lead operator at Smoky Hollow Crematory just outside Hendersonville. “It hit 1,400 degrees in the chamber—and we hadn’t even pressed start. That’s just solar.”

“We tried troubleshooting,” said funeral director Sarah Wayne. “Rebooted the system, checked the gas lines, even sweet-talked her with a Bluetooth speaker and some Vince Gill. Nothing. She just kept humming and pointing toward the sun.”

New “eco-cremation” protocols are now being tested, which include placing decedents under a pop-up canopy and letting the Tennessee sun do what it does best—slow-roast everything in sight. While not yet legally recognized, Polk says it’s “basically nature’s retort, just slower and with more cicadas.”

Local families are reportedly understanding. “Pawpaw loved two things: country ham and the Volunteer State,” said Madison County resident Elaine Trotter. “Honestly, getting slow-cooked outside behind a church feels kind of right.”

Meanwhile, OSHA has issued an official warning to crematory workers to avoid licking metal trays, standing on blacktop longer than 6 seconds, and emotionally bonding with the walk-in cooler.

At press time, Big Bertha had submitted a vacation request to relocate to Gatlinburg and “maybe just be a pizza oven for a bit.”

Trivia

Choose the correct answer and you’ll see a puppy. Get it wrong and you’ll see someone hurting themselves.

How many human remains are interred at the Catacombs of Paris?

Answer Choices:

A) 600,000

B) 1 million

C) Over 6 million

You Otter Be Proud

Here’s some good news going on in the profession.

1.  Unique Program Recycles Pacemakers Retrieved from the Deceased
2. People Magazine Covers Funeral Profession Story
3. Fifth-generation funeral director Jeff Monreal helps families grieve, celebrate loved ones

The West Virginia Funeral Directors and Crematory Operators Association Names ASD as Preferred Provider of Answering Services 

Charleston, WV— The West Virginia Funeral Directors and Crematory Operators Association (WVFDCOA) is pleased to announce a new partnership with ASD – Answering Service for Directors. ASD will join the WVFDCOA’s Preferred Provider Program. This program was designed by WVFDCOA to help members operate more efficiently and increase profits while working with best-in-class organizations. 

ASD is the only answering service devoted solely to the needs of funeral directors. The company serves more than 8,000 funeral homes and is the preferred choice among Independent Funeral Homes and Funeral Home Directors. ASD maintains the highest degree of professionalism with extensive training, cutting-edge technology and an unmatched level of transparency. 

The WVFDCOA delivers innovative and pertinent resources, solutions and support to funeral homes located in West Virginia. The association’s mission is to support members in being professionally, ethically, and operationally superior, and to advocate for the funeral service profession before state and federal lawmakers. Additionally, the WVFDCOA also works to educate the public and provide continuing education opportunities to its members.

The WVFDCOA’s Preferred Provider Program invites members to take advantage of exclusive savings from top tier funeral home companies. The WVFDCOA invested a great deal of time and research evaluating ASD’s services, technology and history before partnering with the company. As part of the new partnership, ASD will offer WVFDCOA members an extended, eight-week Free Trial of ASD’s services with all set-up fees waived. 

“ASD is honored to participate in the WVFDCOA’s Preferred Partner Program. We were highly impressed by the level of research the association devoted to this decision,” says ASD Vice President and Family-Member Owner, Kevin Czachor. “Both ASD and the WVFDCOA are committed to providing funeral professionals with the tools they need to manage and grow their businesses.”

ASD is looking forward to meeting with WVFDCOA members at the annual convention later this month in Canaan Valley. The company is enthusiastic about helping the WVFDCOA achieve its objections while offering West Virginia funeral directors exclusive benefits. For more information about ASD’s Partnership with the WVFDCOA, please visit www.myasd.com/wvfdcoa/. 

About the West Virginia Funeral Directors and Crematory Operators Association 

The West Virginia Funeral Directors and Crematory Operators Association is a not-for-profit organization committed to advocating on behalf of its members. Founded in 1895, the association provides funeral and crematory professionals with continuing education, representation in the legislature and executive offices of the State Government, annual conventions and educational meetings, networking, and vendor discounts. 

About ASD

ASD – Answering Service for Directors has created a new class of answering service for the funeral profession. Family owned and operated since 1972, ASD blends state-of-the-art technology with an extensive, 6-month training program focusing on compassionate care. The company’s custom-built communication systems and sophisticated mobile tools were designed solely to meet the needs of funeral professionals. By offering funeral directors unmatched protection for their calls, ASD has redefined the role of an answering service for funeral homes.  For more information, visit www.myASD.com or call 1-800-868-9950.

Maryland Governor Orders Review of Funeral Board After Crematory Controversy

Governor Wes Moore is not playing around when it comes to deathcare in Maryland. Just weeks after Heaven Bound Cremation Services was shut down in the interest of public safety after eight years of issues, Moore has forced the resignation of three members of the Maryland State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors and ordered an indepth review of the all-volunteer team that in his opinion has “failed” families. 

“Firstly, these allegations are despicable, and those responsible need to be held accountable,” Moore announced last week. “I know the board is independent, but they have failed these families and I share in their outrage, and I stand with them in demanding justice. There is an active investigation into this matter, and these families deserve better.”

Based on the information that has come to light since the board took emergency action to shutter the embattled Charles County crematory on January 23, 2025, Moore’s outrage is justified. As Connecting Directors recently shared, the closure of Heaven Bound stemmed from an inspection that found 11 issues ranging from an inoperable retort to three decomposing bodies — one of which had been in the facility since a March 2024 inspection. The facility had amassed a lengthy list of violations since its opening in 2016, including some that mandated random, unannounced inspections by the board. 

Despite these findings, Heaven Bound was only inspected a handful of times over the years. The egregious body storage issues noted in the March 2024 inspection had only worsened by the time the board’s inspector revisited the facility in January 2025. Last week, the executive director of the Maryland Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors, who has only served in the position for 14 months, admitted that inspections were “backlogged.”

“When I began my position, I noticed we were backlogged approximately 300 establishments in inspections,” said director Erika Malone. “132 have been completed in the last year.”

Malone was one of several state officials, morticians, and funeral directors who were questioned by the Maryland House Health and Government Operations Committee. The committee was also told that some crematories haven’t been inspected in nearly 10 years. 

Malone added that the “board did no inspections statewide for two years before the issues at Heaven Bound were exposed” because Maryland’s “lone investigator was assigned office duty for that period,”, according to WJLA ABC7 News.

Three of the 11 executive members and officers of the board have resigned “under pressure” from Gov. Moore and have been removed from the entity’s website. The site now lists the eight remaining board members as well as executive director Malone, an administrative assistant, a licensing coordinator, and the aforementioned “lone” investigator/inspector.

Charles P. Scheeler was asked by Gov. Moore to lead the review, which will involve a “thorough assessment of the board’s structure and operations and whether changes to law or regulations are warranted,” says the Southern Maryland News. Scheeler is a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

More Unwanted Attention: Maryland Crematory Shuttered After Horrific Discoveries

It’s been a tough few years for deathcare on the public relations front, with the worst of the bad actors initiating global scandals from Colorado and Georgia, even as the other 99.9% of the profession exceptionally and ethically serve families every minute of every day. Unfortunately, it looks like that trend may continue into the near future, as a new report about ongoing issues with improper dispositions is raising questions about how these problems continue to arise.

Operations at a Maryland crematory have been suspended and the owners are being investigated for allowing multiple bodies in their care to decompose. On January 23, 2025, the Maryland State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors took emergency action to stop Heaven Bound Cremation Services in Charles County from operating after a January 10 inspection found 11 issues ranging from an inoperable retort to three decomposing bodies — one of which had been in the facility since a March 2024 inspection. 

Eight rocky years

As more information is released about the continuing issues with this facility since its opening, it’s inevitable that people will question how it was allowed to continue operating. 

The Baltimore Banner reports that the crematory was given a 10-year state permit in December 2016, but had been on probation “for much of the time since for poor practices.”  

According to the Order for Summary Suspension issued by the Maryland State Board last week, complaints about improper dispositions began in 2017, with a 2019 complaint about commingled and improperly stored cremated remains resulting in Rosa Williams, who co-owns the business with Brandon Williams, being placed on probation for one year. She was ordered to complete an ethics course and practice under a supervisory mentor. After finding that she had not complied with the order, the state board initiated random inspections of the facility in 2021.

It was during one of these unannounced visits in March 21, 2024 that, says the order, an inspector found “human bodies in cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other with no support between the boxes; human bodies in ripped body bags with arms and legs hanging out of the body bags; human remains that were not stored at temperatures below 40F; and blood on the refrigeration unit and bodily fluids on the floor.”

In September 2024, the board placed the crematory operator registrations of both Rosa and Brandon Williams on probation for a minimum of two years “with conditions” that each “complete recertification through a nationally recognized organization that offers crematory operator training courses and pay a $2,000 fine.” Rosa Williams’ crematory operator registration was also suspended for 10 days.

The January 2025 inspection

Sadly, these sanctions seem to have made no impact on these owners’ practices, as another inspection on January 10, 2025 found many of the same issues uncovered a year earlier. 

“Human remains are currently being improperly stored on the premises rather than being cremated,” summarizes the order. “The premises are overcrowded with human remains. Bodies have been observed stacked one on top of the other, stored uncovered, and in a state of apparent decomposition. Dried blood has been observed on the floor, along with other fluids. The improper storage of human remains on the premises endangers the health of occupants and employees of the building.”

Details in the order reveal that “at least 18 bodies” were not stored at  a proper temperature, there were “three visibly decomposing bodies,” and “one of the visibly decomposing bodies has been in the facility since the March 21, 2024 inspection.”

Based on the January 10 findings, the board issued the Order for Summary Suspension on January 14, concluding that these investigative findings endanger the “public health, safety or welfare” and required “emergency action.” The board suspended the crematory permit of Heaven Bound Cremation Services, offering the owners the opportunity to request a hearing within 30 days.

What about the families?

While the reporting on this unfolding investigation has focused on the facility and its owners, it can be expected that the families whose loved ones have been involved in this tragic treatment will likely make their voices heard.

On January 22, one such family member posted the following message to the r/askfuneraldirectors subReddit:

My dad died in December. He was to be cremated in a crematory in Baltimore, MD. After a month with no word after trying to contact them I was told his body was taken by the MD state anatomy board due the crematory being shut down for whatever reason. I called the anatomy board and they say he’s not on the list they have and that they’d call back if another list pops up. I’m completely lost. Why would they shut down the crematory (truly afraid to know) and where the hell is my dad? If anyone knows what I can do next, I’d be happy to hear it.

UPDATE

I found out why they were shut down. Sadly, It’s just as horrible as you would imagine.

I got in touch with the MD Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors. The guy told me that Heaven Bound Cremation actually had cremated my father and still holds the remains. I would need to go down to their main site (I already went to their 2nd site and was told they had moved months prior) and ask for the remains back. So I drove the 40 mins only to find the door locked and the lights off. Called the board of morticians back and left a message. A news channel reached back out to me for an interview so that’s in the works. Thank you guys for your advice and support so far. Truly.

Another Redittor responded:

After reading this previous suit you linked, I’m speechless! This is criminal and not merely regulatory. This problem was identified as far back as 2017!!! Why was the state board not routinely inspecting for a period of time to ensure the problems originally identified were rectified?? How is not just the business, but the state and licensing/governing bodies not also liable after recognizing such serious problems and 🚩🚩🚩🚩them for routine inspection after the issues presented and allowing them to continue betraying the unknowing families entrusting their loved ones into their care?

No funeral home in the area identified a pattern??? Like once their descendents were transferred to this facility, they never received cremains back, and instead received a large number of families calling after fact wondering where their loved one’s remains were? Were they complicit? Were they paid off? It just doesn’t make sense.

Demand answers, demand accountability, demand the proper agencies and your government representatives step in to draft and pass law that prevents situations like this in the future.

These are questions that the deathcare community will, unfortunately and through no fault of their own, have to grapple with as more details emerge.

For over a year and a half Funeral Director Daily has followed the application process of the Evans Funeral Chapel in trying to locate and build a new crematory in the White Marsh area of Baltimore (MD) County.  It now appears, because of a zoning change for the land in question, that the ability to place a crematory in that location will not be allowed.

Almost immediately upon the first public hearings for this proposal, according to this article,  “. . .residents of White Marsh have remained highly opposed to the idea of a crematory operating within hundreds of feet from their homes.  An online petition opposing the Evans Crematory gathered hundreds of signatures. Momentum continued into 2024, when hundreds of yard signs were on display on front yards throughout the White Marsh area.”

There has been plot twists and turns since the original application, but it now appears that the zoning rule change may stop the construction.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  This type of decision following an application process for a new crematory in a locale is not uncommon.  As I research articles for Funeral Director Daily I see many conflicts about potential new crematories facing neighborhood group objections.

In that context one has to ask themselves “Where will new crematories be built? or “Do we presently have enough crematories for present and future use?’

In the September 2024 issue of The Director, published by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) there is an excellent article about the 2024 NFDA Cremation and Burial Report.  There are a lot of statistics in that article that can be used to see where America may be going on future Death Care dispositions.  Through that report and some information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), I’ve came up with some questions about the future.

First of all, in 2023, the CDC reported 3.09 million provisional deaths and the NFDA, in the aforementioned article, reported an estimated 1.872 million cremation dispositions.  That’s a cremation percentage of 60.5%.  Furthermore, NFDA reports that there are about 3,400 active crematories in the United States — so that is an average of 550 cremations per crematory.  Obviously, that is an average. . .and depending on the popuation density that they are located in, some do more cremations and some do less.

Jumping ahead to 2040, data from the NFDA article estimates over 3.7 million American deaths in that year with an estimate of over 2.9 million cremations.  That’s a cremation percentage of almost 80% and if America contained the same number of crematories as today,  it would mean an average of 869 cremations per crematory.

So, with the consumer’s continuing growing choice for cremation on one hand and the “Not in my back yard” attitude of many on the other hand, will America have enough crematories for this expected upsurge in the raw number of cremations?

Even with the difficulty in getting new crematories built, I think the answer is yes. . . Here’s some of my reasoning:

• New crematories are getting better, technology speaking, every day.  It’s my guess that process time and emission controls will be better and better.  These crematories will eventually replace older ones in the locations that they are already in use.

• With decreased process time of new crematories, doing 869 cremations (on average) per year would equal 2.38 cremations per day per crematory.  That’s doable. . even with today’s crematories

• There will be new crematories built. . . . .most likely there will be challenges with many of these if they are planned to be located in a residential neighborhood.  However, I think many funeral homes will not want to challenge neighborhoods (and anger potential clientele) and will locate new crematories in more industrially-zoned areas.

• I’m not so sure that we will get to a 80% flame-cremation rate by 2040.  We may never get there if water-based alkaline hydrolysis and Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) trend up in the Death Care choices of consumers.

I’m guessing that there will be challenges to build or maintain in certain locales in the future. . . but, in those locales transportation will be available to bring those wanting to be flame-cremated to facilities where that is done.

At the end of the day, my hunch is that there will be no shortage of crematories come 2040 for both the consumer who wants to be flame-cremated and the Death Care companies that want to offer cremation.  The location of those crematories, however, may not be as convenient to funeral home operations as they are today as the locales of the operating crematories may be moved out to less residential industrial areas.

More news from the world of Death Care:

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Our friends at the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) recently announced that registration is now open for the 2024 educational classes for their “Certified Cremation Specialist” designation.

According to CANA, “What sets a CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist apart is the training they receive to ensure everyone is treated with the same level of care, service, and compassion. Through exposure to a curriculum based on years of research and experience, CANA-Certified Cremation Specialists learn best practices in ethical conduct, verbal and non-verbal delivery, personalizing services and body preparation styles to grow their abilities”. 

All courses are online with the ability to  pause and resume to fit your schedule with basic program requirements that everyone must complete, including participating in a live, instructor-led course via Zoom.

To learn more about becoming a Certified Cremation Specialist and/or to register click here.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”