LA SVEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada law calls for funeral homes to preserve the “dignity” of human remains in their care without including a specific deadline for when burials or cremations must occur, leading families who contracted with a now-closed business to question their next steps.
Last month, the Nevada Board of Funeral and Cemetery Services pulled the license of McDermott’s Funeral Home and Cremation Services. The board met over two days to review four complaints filed against the business, which was located in an industrial area on Western Avenue near Sahara Avenue. The Nevada Attorney General’s Office signs off on the complaints.
The board found the business failed to timely bury or cremate bodies — including one case where a woman was not cremated for almost 11 months, documents said.
A police report the 8 News Now Investigators obtained regarding the transfer notes the coroner’s office located “approximately 110 improperly stored deceased bodies.” Documentation from the funeral board indicates McDermott’s operated four coolers in its suite. A neighboring business owner told the 8 News Now Investigators he started smelling what he believed was human decay in April.
The Western Avenue location, not far from the Las Vegas Strip, served as a crematory and office. McDermott’s also operated a public-facing establishment on Decatur Avenue, an office the board said was not properly permitted.
In addition to the “reasonable” time clause in Nevada law, state law requires operators to preserve the “dignity” of any remains in their care.
“There is a reasonable expectation that each customer of this facility had that their loved one be treated with dignity and respect,” attorney Sam Mirejovsky said.
The board’s main complaint involved the funeral home’s failure to “[cremate] or otherwise [dispose] of” eight bodies for an extended period. Nevada law stipulates that a funeral home must bury or cremate a body “within a reasonable time after death,” however, an exact amount of time is not written into law.
Las Vegas funeral home shut down over delayed cremations
The allegations surrounded board inspections in July and August 2024, where an inspector determined several bodies in McDermott’s care were there for an “extended period.” The inspector also located “three coolers containing numerous bodies that were leaking blood and bodily fluids,” documents said.
Photos provided in the documentation show stained sheets, which the inspector notes were not changed after a subsequent inspection. During one visit, the inspector noted “fluids of a body… had dripped onto a body on a lower shelf and onto the floor.”
In another case, a family filed a complaint after their loved one, who died in December 2023, was not cremated for 51 days after her death, documents said. An investigative report indicates the family was told there was a two-week delay and that the company was “running behind.”
Several families have contacted the 8 News Now Investigators, saying they experienced delays after they signed with McDermott’s. Some others said they had no issues and felt the delivery of cremains was timely.
The Nevada Board of Funeral and Cemetery Services pulled the license of McDermott’s Funeral Home and Cremation Services. The board met over two days to review four complaints filed against the business, which was located in an industrial area on Western Avenue near Sahara Avenue. (KLAS)
“I can’t even imagine what the families are going through,” Mirejovsky said, adding that bodies affected by others’ leaking fluids likely have a civil claim. “The thought of knowing that that is something that happened to your mother, to your father, to your sister, to your wife, to your child, there are consequential damages that come from that.”
A contract provided in board documents from McDermott’s indicates customers agreed to cremations happening at the business’s “discretion” and “schedule.”
“What would you consider timely?” 8 News Now Investigator David Charns asked Mirejovsky.
“I think the moment a body is decomposing where there is functionally a lack of respect for that deceased person, I think you’ve crossed the line,” Mirejovsky said.
Mirejovsky believes there could be claims for breach of contract and emotional distress, but warns civil claims must be filed within two years.
“These facilities can’t store bodies to the point where they’re decomposing and also obviously are causing damage to the remains of other people that are there,” he said.
In a response to the allegations, the funeral director wrote to the board, indicating most of the bodies awaiting burial or cremation involved social services and that “takes weeks, months or in extreme cases over a year to complete.” That process involves the county paying for the funeral home’s services if a family cannot or if the person does not have next of kin.
A representative for McDermott’s said all remains in its care were stored in body bags and wrapped in sheets, and at no point were they “stacked” inside.
A contract provided in board documents from McDermott’s indicates customers agreed to cremations happening at the business’s “discretion” and “schedule.” (KLAS)
Seven members comprise the board, including three who oversee funeral services at competing Las Vegas-area funeral homes, according to the board’s website.
Metro police were not investigating the storage. It was not clear if the attorney general’s office would move forward with any other claims other than the four complaints that led to the shutdown.
There was no evidence that McDermott’s closure was connected to the discovery of piles of cremated remains near Searchlight.
8 News Now Investigator David Charns can be reached at dcharns@8newsnow.com.
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