79 unknown ‘cremains’ found in Houston funeral home damaged in hurricane as police ask for help identifying them
The Houston Police Department is trying to help Texas families reunite with the cremated remains, or “cremains,” of loved ones discovered at a funeral home damaged by Hurricane Beryl.
In April, HPD inspected Richardson Mortuary, located at 3201 Brookfield Drive, after a family discovered disturbing conditions, including bodies left in hot rooms and debris scattered throughout the building following the July 2024 storm.
Videos posted online led regulators to shut down the funeral home for failing to meet basic health and safety standards while operating in a hurricane-damaged facility.
Among the findings were 79 sets of cremated human remains with minimal documentation. Police have returned 22 sets to families, but 57 remain unclaimed. The remains were transported from Richardson Mortuary to HPD headquarters while detectives work to identify the next of kin.
HPD released a list of names of the unclaimed remains along with the crematories originally handling them in hopes of returning them to their rightful owners. Any remains still unclaimed after December 12 will be transferred to Harris County Bereavement Services for respectful and ethical interment.
The list of unclaimed remains contains the following names:
- Muriel Fuller — Cremate Texas
- Natalir Johnson — Cremate Texas
- Jerry Oliver — Cremate Texas
- Oscar Ford — Cremate Texas
- Norma Kelly — Cremate Texas
- Leo Roberts — Cremate Texas
- Charles — Mainland Crematory
- Leroy Monroe — Mainland Crematory
- Craig Koontz — MMC
- Johnny Yarbrough — Mainland Crematory
- Lonnell Riggins — Cremate Texas
- John Eaton — MMC
- Allen Daniels — Mainland Crematory
- Leon Caldwell — MMC
- Raymond Foster — Cremate Texas
- Yolanda Stewart — Cremate Texas
- Eric Brown — MMC
- Francis Jones — Cremate Texas
- Andrea Myers — MMC
- Regina Nichols — Memorial Crematory
- Joann Mitchell — MMC
- Jerry Miller — MMC
- Dianna Mattox — Cremate Texas
- Jackie Ross — MMC
- Todd Harris — MMC
- Johnny Hetor — MMC
- Barbara Williams — MMC
- Justine Barr — Cremate Texas
- Fred Burrell — Cremate Texas
- Robert Mosley — Cremate Texas
- Cordel McCarter — Cremate Texas
- Harold LaPoint — Mainland Crematory
- Brenda Harden — MMC
- William Taylor — MMC
- Willie McNeil — Mainland Crematory
- Jeffrey Crawford — MMC
- Josephine Zeno — MMC
- Edward Dowell — MMC
- Maurice Northern — MMC
- Janice Flex — No Label
- Robert Childs — Cremate Texas
- Henry Hill — MMC
- Knowledge Holmes — MMC
- Thomas Griffin — Cremate Texas
- R. Woodrow — Cremate Texas
- Milbert Pogue — Cremate Texas
- Mitchell Luckett — Cremate Texas
- Timothy Griffin — Cremate Texas
- Martha Johnson — Mainland Crematory
- Bruce McMillon — MMC
- Charlesetta Allen — MMC
- Reginald Jones — MMC
- Marshel Wilson — MMC
- Kenita Prince — MMC
- Lucien Thornton — MMC
- Ramona Taylor — Cremate Texas
Attorney Rick Detoto, who is representing the mortuary, told Click 2 Houston in a statement, “It’s not unusual for a mortuary to have cremains that are fully paid for and not picked up by family.”
“The list posted by HPD is an example. They were all properly stored and the mortuary made several attempts to contact their loved ones for pick up. This list goes back, in some cases, many years. They were, at all times, available for pick up by family members. The business has been at the same location for decades with the same phone number.”
Police are urging anyone who may believe they are next of kin to contact the department’s Major Offenders Division at 713-308-3100 within the next 30 days.
