The State of Illinois has permanently revoked the Funeral Director and Embalmer license of Albert Heinz of Carlinville after concerns over the handling of remains.
Thursday, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation took action based on several findings:
· Violation of Regulations (vital records non-compliance),
· Professional incompetence or untrustworthiness in funeral practice,
· Taking undue advantage of clients amounting to perpetration of fraud,
· Performing any act or practice that violates funeral regulations,
· Unprofessional conduct and charging for professional services not rendered.
Heinz has not responded to requests for comment.
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon last week held a news conference in which detailed problems he had discovered.
Allmon said he was contacted by a hospital with a body in its morgue for more than a month. The family had contracted with Heinz to have the body collected and cremated, he said.
When Allmon’s office reached out to the family, he was informed they had received cremains they believed belonged to their loved one. They were unaware that their family member was still housed in the morgue.
On Friday, Allmon said he is aware of similar issues.
“Since the start of this investigation, we have removed or recovered over 40 sets of cremains from Heinz Funeral Home, some of which were not labeled at all,” he said. “To date, the Coroner’s Office has received dozens more sets of cremains from families that were given the wrong cremains. Over the last week, the Coroner’s Office has fielded hundreds of calls.”
Allmon added the ongoing investigation involves multiple jurisdictions, and coroners and law enforcement agencies of several counties are now receiving calls.
A visit to the funeral home led them to discover remains of three individuals in what was said to be “an advanced state of decomposition.” Allmon said all have been identified through his office. All three were Sangamon County residents who had died in Sangamon County the month prior. All three of those families have been located and notified, he said.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this in twenty years of doing this,” he said last week. “It’s unimaginable what these families are going through.”
“As this investigation moves forward, the Coroner’s Office will continue to work with families to return their loved ones to them when possible. Coroner Allmon will also work with the Illinois Department of Public Health, Vital Records Division to file and correct/amend death certificates when appropriated,” according to a statement from Allmon.
