57 unclaimed remains found at Houston funeral home, police issue 30-day public notice

Houston - Houston police are urging the public to help after attempting to deliver 57 unclaimed cremains connected to a south Houston funeral home. 

The cremains were among 79 sets recovered earlier this year from Richardson Mortuary, where investigators say they were found in poor condition with limited documentation. Detectives were able to return 22 cremains to families over the past six months, but the majority remain unclaimed. 

The backstory:

The discovery was made April 11, months after the mortuary sustained significant damage during Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, according to police. 

During a follow-up inspection of the building, detectives recovered the cremains and moved them to police headquarters for safekeeping while attempting to locate relatives.

Richardson Mortuary has also been at the center of a separate criminal investigation. Former directors Michael Richardson and Gayle Bell face multiple felony abuse-of-corpse charges after state inspectors and police found bodies inside the facility in various stages of decomposition, including a storage room without functioning air conditioning and one body described in court documents as "largely liquified."

The effort to deliver the unclaimed remains is part of a statewide 30-day notice required by law to locate next of kin. 

Any cremains not claimed by the deadline will be transferred to Harris County Bereavement Services for final interment. 

Anyone who believes they may be connected to the individuals on the list is asked to contact HPD’s Major Offenders Division at 713-308-3100 before December 12.