ORLANDO, Fla. — Multiple investigations are underway into a now-shuttered Orlando funeral home after officers found the badly decomposed body of a woman when they were called to the facility.
The discovery at Foster’s Funeral Home on West Colonial Drive happened when officers responded on Aug. 10, according to a mostly redacted police report.
Nine days later, WFTV cameras watched as investigators with the Florida Department of Financial Services raided the building to collect more evidence, seemingly without the knowledge of the business’ owner and the building’s tenant, Amos Jerome Foster, who said he was unaware of the raid when called that day.
Foster refused to answer questions about the discovery of the body and why it was left in a building without refrigeration in the middle of the summer.
An administrator with the Orlando Utilities Commission confirmed power to the property had been cut off on July 23. Between then and Aug. 10, Orlando recorded 18 days above 90 degrees and nine days above 95 degrees, including two 98-degree days on July 28 and 29.
A spokesman for the Orlando Police Department said a preliminary investigation did not reveal any criminal wrongdoing, but the report released more than a week later said the investigation was still active.
Florida law mandates funeral homes and other properly licensed facilities either embalm bodies or store them at temperatures no higher than 40 degrees. Failure to do so is a third-degree felony with a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.
Florida Department of Financial Services spokeswoman Sydney Booker confirmed her agency’s investigation in a statement, saying her agency “will explore all disciplinary actions available.”
DFS cannot bring criminal charges, but can suspend or permanently revoke a license in conjunction with the Board of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services.
The owner of an Apopka-based funeral home that hired Foster as their funeral director said Foster no longer worked for her because his license had been suspended. Foster’s license, which was previously searchable on the DFS database, was no longer online as of Tuesday afternoon.
Attempts to call family members of the people most recently listed on Foster’s website to see if they have been contacted by investigators have not been successful.
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