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31 bodies, some decomposing, found in southern Indiana funeral home

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — Multiple agencies are investigating a southern Indiana funeral home after more than two dozen bodies in varying degrees of decomposition were found at the facility late Friday.

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Police in Jeffersonville, Indiana, worked into Saturday morning locating 31 bodies – some of which were in “advanced stages of decomposition” – at Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center, the department’s Maj. Isaac Parker told The Courier-Journal in a prepared statement.

Jeffersonville police also discovered the post-cremation remains of 16 other people, WXIN reported.

According to The Courier-Journal, the recovered bodies were taken by the Clark County Coroner’s Office, which is working to identify the remains.

In a brief Saturday interview with the newspaper, Parker said another agency informed the sheriff’s office last week about issues with the funeral home.

Per Parker’s statement, some of the bodies had been stored at the funeral home since March, WXIN reported.

Parker also confirmed to The Associated Press that the county coroner’s office had reported a strong odor emanating from the building. Inside, officers wearing hazmat gear found bodies “in different places around the building.”

Parker declined, however, to discuss conditions encountered at Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center or to confirm how many people are employed by the facility, The Courier-Journal reported.

“We understand that this is going to be a situation where we’re really going to need the assistance of these families,” Parker told the newspaper, adding, “I’m sorry that they’ve already suffered a loss, and now they’re dealing with this situation. We ask anybody that has information to please reach out to us.”

The department’s detective division can be reached by calling 812-285-6535, according to Parker’s statement.