HOUSTON – A Houston embalmer has surrendered to authorities after allegedly cutting off a dead man’s penis and placing it in his mouth upon learning he was a registered sex offender, according to Harris County court records.
Amber Laudermilk, 34, is charged with felony abuse of corpse following the alleged incident on Feb. 7.
After allegedly mutilating the corpse, Laudermilk, a licensed Texas embalmer, threatened other employees to not say anything, records show.
Laudermilk surrendered to the court this morning and had her bond set at $5,000. She is prohibited from working as an embalmer while the case is pending, with her next court date scheduled for May 13 at 9 a.m.
“This is a vicious, brutal attack of a corpse. The person’s already dead,” Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said. “When someone dies, there’s some dignity that should be left ... it’s kind of shocking, even to me.”
The incident investigated by Constable Rosen’s Office happened at Memorial Mortuary and Crematory on Pine Street, according to records, after the funeral director in charge had a conversation on the phone with the family of Charles Roy Rodriguez, 58.
According to investigators, Rodriguez had been charged with sexual assault and given deferred adjudication related to an incident involving a woman at a bar. He was also required to register as a sex offender.
They discussed splitting Rodriguez’s remains between the new spouse and his daughter from a previous marriage, according to records, and the family member mentioned that he was a registered sex offender.
Soon after that phone call, an employee said they witnessed Laudermilk cut off Rodriguez’s penis halfway and stuff it in his mouth, according to court records.
“Two troubled lives coexisted at the same time. But this person, clearly our suspect, clearly just went off the edge,” Rosen said.
One of the employees, who was a trainee, said they witnessed Laudermilk cut off the penis and twice stab Rodriguez with a scalpel in his groin before telling her, “You didn’t see anything,” according to records.
Just before Rodriguez was put into crematory equipment, another employee said they noticed the penis in Rodriguez’s mouth, and Laudermilk quickly covered the groin area with a towel, claiming he had “a lot going on with him.”
Funeral home leaders reported the incident to the Texas Funeral Service Commission 10 days later, according to records, because employees had been scared to bring it up.
“Dealing with the loss of a loved one is an incredibly difficult time and there are predators who exploit this vulnerability,” Funeral Service Commission Executive Director Scott Bingaman said.
He said it’s the only criminal abuse of corpse case across the state in the last two years and encouraged families to use the agency’s license lookup tool online before taking their loved one to a mortuary or crematory business.
The state will now seek to suspend and potentially permanently revoke Laudermilk’s embalmer license, Bingaman said.
Memorial Mortuary and Crematory told KPRC 2 Laudermilk is no longer employed, but declined to provide further information, citing a personnel matter and ongoing legal case.
‘It makes us all really look bad’
Jason Altieri is the CEO and owner at Southeast Texas Crematory in north Houston. He also wrote Fires of Changes, a book on cremation.
“Ethics is everything in this line of work,” Altieri said. “Whether we have, you know, a particular judgment one way or the other, it doesn’t matter. We’re there for a family and we have to keep that in mind.”
Families should be aware of where decedents will be cremated and if it’s not at the funeral home, he said. They should also feel comfortable asking questions and be able to visit or see everything in person.
He also recommended doing a license lookup and reading online reviews.
“I always say if something doesn’t feel right, if they’re not getting the right answers, then then stop,” Altieri said.
He admitted this case could’ve been hard to predict based on all available information for a family.
“It’s unfortunate because it makes us all really look bad,” he said. “We need to make sure that everybody’s doing things ethically, because when they’re not and something like this happens, it’s terrible for the industry.”