No trauma on 8 decaying bodies at abandoned mortuary

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas - No signs of trauma or foul play were found on eight decaying bodies discovered at an abandoned funeral home in Fort Worth, Texas, officials said.

Seven of the eight bodies found Tuesday at the Johnson Family Mortuary were in advanced stages of decomposition, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday.

Authorities have said the business, owned by twin brothers Dondre and Derrick Johnson, was already under state investigation and its license was due to expire in two weeks.

Officials know the identities of five of the bodies, but one woman and two fetuses have not yet been identified, the coroner's office said.

Fort Worth police are investigating the case on abuse-of-corpse charges. Police spokesman Sgt. Raymond Bush said Thursday no charges have been filed.

Phone and email messages also left Thursday for the Johnson brothers were not immediately returned.

The property owner said he told the brothers to vacate the building because they were in arrears with the rent. The owner told police that he found the decomposing bodies Tuesday, but no workers.

John Leslie, an attorney representing the landlord, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the brothers owed his client rent.

"They have not paid my client," Leslie said. "I'm not going to go into the amount or how much they are in delinquency, but further legal action is likely."

The mortuary's state license expires at the end of July, according to Kyle Smith, an attorney with the Texas Funeral Commission. The business is the focus of five commission investigations, Smith said. Further details on the review were not immediately released.