Texas mortuary owners charged with abuse of corpse

Friday, July 18, 2014

photo Rachel Hardy-Johnson, center, is brought to Fort Worth Police Department jail by fugitive detail officers Friday, July 18, 2014.

FORT WORTH, Texas - North Texas police have filed criminal charges against two owners of a funeral home where eight decaying bodies were discovered earlier this week.

Rachel Hardy-Johnson was arrested Friday and charged with seven counts of abuse of a corpse. She's an owner along with her husband, Dondre Johnson, of Johnson Family Mortuary in Fort Worth.

Seven corpse abuse counts also were filed against Dondre Johnson. Officer Sharron Neal, a Fort Worth police spokeswoman, says Dondre Johnson was not in custody but has been contacted and is expected to turn himself in. She said she didn't know when, however.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office has said seven of the eight bodies found Tuesday at the business were in advanced stages of decomposition, though none showed signs of trauma or foul play.