Tri-State Crematory: Funeral Service Law  

 

Please respond to at least one of your classmates. Your comment should be 150 words. 

 

I chose to respond to Bruce:

 This story finds us looking into a horrific turn of events that causes the emotions of sadness, anger, and disbelief in Nobel Georgia in Walker County. We know that on Feb 15, 2002, several federal agencies stormed the grounds of the Tri-State Crematory having no idea what they would uncover that day. They ended up finding 324 bodies of all ages with some of them being present for over 20 years. The obvious facts of the case were undeniable as the bodies themselves were speaking from their open graves. Investigative resources tell us that over one hundred million dollars were paid out reluctantly from several insurance agencies due to the negligence of the owners. The state and county paid more than ten million dollars to conduct the cleanup and demolition of the area. Only 220 of the bodies were properly identified with the others left undetermined.

Upon listening to the podcast, I was astonished that Mr. Marsh was charged with 787 counts ranging from theft, fraud, and deception that would have given the defendant a prison time of over 1,000 years. Ultimately, he would only serve 12 years due to a plea deal that was accepted due to loopholes that were found by the lawyers that defended Mr. Marsh. Their main defense was that a dead body had no value therefore no theft existed. This was upheld by the courts and the case was closed.

My personal feelings about this case are that the loopholes and negative oversight by governing bodies allowed this case to be railroaded with basically nothing more than a slap on the wrist in the grand scheme. I don't believe a plea bargain should have ever been made and this court case should have gone to trial. I personally believe the outcome would have been much more severe with respect to the punishment as it fit the crime. Ultimately, Mr. Marsh is not the only guilty party in this horrible situation. The State and County statutes and rules failed the citizens of these deceased and prevent them from their proper disposition. The part that I truly disagree with the how there was no value placed on the dead. These are loved ones that were entrusted to funeral directors and funeral homes that never took the time to check on the practices and operations of this crematory. If they had conducted an annual inspection of the operations and property, they would have noticed the issues well before 2002.

Cases such as these have given rise to more stringent laws and regulations concerning the operations of a crematory and the proper licensing that is now required. It is disheartening that it takes a situation such as this to bring about corrective measures. This is a story that shows reactive instead of proactive within the funeral and crematory industries. I know that we all believe we are under a microscope and being monitored all the time by State and Federal regulatory agencies. However, we are entrusted with the fallen family members and have the honor to take care of them with a final act of kindness and respect. If you are following the rules you will usually have nothing to worry about.