10 Cigars & Tent Trouble | 4M #208

Welcome to the two-hundred-and-eighth edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #208, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!

Close, but not just cigars

One can only imagine what fascinating things the TSA folks find in travelers’ luggage, but a human skull and bones was probably not on the bingo card for the team at Tampa International Airport a few weeks ago. The passenger declared 10 cigars, but neglected to mention prohibited plants, additional cigars, and a “foil-wrapped duffel bag containing what looked like human remains, including part of a skull.” The person said the items were intended for use in “rituals” — well outside the allowed purposes for importing human remains (like burial or cremation). Nevertheless, the authorities “seized and destroyed” the skull and bones, citing health risks. No details yet on where the remains originated, or if any charges will be filed against the passenger.

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Eagle-eyed embalmer

Once again, an observant deathcare professional may have kept an alleged murderer from escaping justice. In 2019, a New York City medical examiner ruled a 27-year-old Columbia University graduate hanging death a suicide — a conclusion that her family immediately questioned. The funeral director had a similar response after finding “extensive bruises” on the woman’s body that were “significant and troubling,” according to People. He shared his concerns with the family, who, with support from several additional experts, are fighting to get the M.E.’s conclusion overturned and have asked for a full police investigation. 

Tense tent talk

Folks at an Arkansas cemetery were so offended that an out-of-town funeral home pitched a canopy for an interment rather than using the pavilion on the grounds that they appealed to the city council to pass an ordinance banning the use of tents and fining anyone who dared defy the rule. The council tabled the measure, to the great relief of at least one local journalist who imagined families being served citations during their graveside services. His advice? “Bury” the ordinance.