Authorities removed two bodies from a funeral home in Crowley that had been there for months.
The bodies were removed from Wilturner Funeral Home Thursday after families were claiming they never received their loved ones ashes, but Funeral Home Owner, Joseph Wilturner says he hasn’t heard from them in nearly three months.
“I called those family members every day. You know what, they didn’t answer.”
Clarence Arceneaux says his father, Clarence Milson Sr. died December 12. He claims his family did reach out to Wilturner.
“We were supposed to cremate him since December the 27th and ain’t nothing ever came up. We decided to come and see what was wrong with the body and come to find out nobody wanted to respond.”
Coroner, Dr. Mark Dawson says he tried reaching out to Wilturner for over a week with no response.
When the coroner arrived to serve a warrant, Wilturner was not there so authorities had to force their way in.
Wilturner tells News 10, “Why they up and left my building open? Why did they kick open my office door? Let’s go see the damage that’s done. Who’s going to fix that?”
He says Arceneaux’s family did pay for the cremation, but paperwork was never filled out.
Arceneaux disagrees.
“One time me and my mom we came to sign the papers for the cremation. I asked him if my daddy’s body was in the back and he wouldn’t respond.”
Dr. Dawson says the two bodies have been taken to a Lafayette crematorium.
