LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Nevada State Funeral Board has closed a Las Vegas funeral home after finding that several bodies were left uncremated for months, including one woman whose cremation was delayed nearly a year.
WATCH | Alyssa Bethencourt speaks with a family affected by the fallout after a Las Vegas funeral home shuts down amid disturbing discoveries:
The Nevada Board of Funeral and Cemetery Services revoked the license of McDermott’s Funeral Home and Cremation Services, located on Western Avenue near Sahara. The decision followed several hearings that reviewed complaints against the business.
Following the ruling, staff from the Clark County coroner’s office moved 146 remains from the site to Davis Funeral Home, where officials say workers are now handling each case with “care, compassion, and urgency.”
Troubling Findings
Board inspections in July and August 2024 uncovered what investigators described as disturbing conditions.
- Inspectors documented coolers containing multiple bodies leaking fluids, with one case showing bodily fluids dripping onto another body and onto the floor.
- In another instance, a body was found in a cooler without a lid, with the person’s face visible.
For grieving families, the consequences were devastating. The body of Keline Baez’s mother was among those recovered. She described learning that her mother had been kept in unsanitary conditions:
"They said that she was in a cooler that was above 80°. They told me there were blood splatters. That the walls were taped," Baez said. "We just feel that she has been robbed of her dignity. How can you do something like this? Her body already had mold on it. Her limbs were decomposing. Her face wouldn't have been recognizable anyway.”
Michael Trotta, who runs a neighboring graphic design business, said the smell of decomposition had been noticeable for months, not realizing bodies were being improperly stored just on the other side of his wall.
"According to Metro, most of the bodies that he had stacked up, were stacked up against my wall… it smelled so bad," Trotta said.
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When Trotta learned what investigators had uncovered — and saw the signage at McDermott's blacked out — he decided to put up new ones showing the owner Chris Grant's face, name and number.
"Why take this extra step? Because that way if families come, they have a phone number at least to call," Trotta said.
After posting the signs, Trotta said Grant came back to take them down. Now, the landlord wants Trotta out.
Funeral Home’s Defense
In an email to Channel 13, McDermott’s general manager called the inspections “baseless,” saying the board deprived the business of the opportunity to address each matter individually.
They went on to say "supporters are calling on Governor Joe Lombardo to review the case, restore McDermott’s license, and hold the Nevada Funeral and Cemetery Services Board accountable for procedural fairness."
The Clark County coroner’s office confirmed all 146 bodies have been identified and transferred to Davis Funeral Home. Officials acknowledged the scale of the problem has been “overwhelming” for staff but assured families that each case is being handled properly.
