California mortician accused of letting 11 bodies rot

California mortician Mark B. Allen was charged Friday with violations of the California Health and Safety Code after allegedly letting the bodies of 11 deceased people rot.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed 22 criminal charges

against Allen for the potential violations.

The 11 bodies, which included deceased infants, were discovered at the Sun Valley funeral home in “various stages of decay and mummification” during an investigation by the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, the L.A. County Coroner’s Office and the Los Angeles Police Department.

The bureaus made two visits to the Mark B. Allen Mortuary and Cremations Services, Inc. due to complaints made by the family of the deceased at the funeral home.

Allen is charged with 11 violations of sections 7054 (a)(1) and (2) of the Health and Safety Code, one for each deceased person.

The first section states that “…every person who deposits or disposes of any human remains in any place, except in a cemetery, is guilty of a misdemeanor,” while the second states that a violation “…shall be punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both that imprisonment and fine.”

Allen may face up to 11 years in prison and up to $110,000 in fines if convicted.