OWENSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — Months after a funeral home burned down in Gibson County, some clients of Holder Funeral Home are looking for answers.
“They posted online that no remains or bodies were destroyed in the fire and I knew that was not the case because we had not picked up my mom’s cremated remains yet,” says Olivia Faith.
Faith claims the funeral home still had her mother’s remains when it burned down in February. Soon after the fire was out, Nathan Morris, who was the owner at the time, decided to begin demolition and said the building was a liability. However, the quick turnaround did not sit well with clients.
“They offered to put a permanent memorial at the new location with my mom’s name on it because her remains were destroyed in the fire. But then they told me her remains were spread in a communal cemetery without any of our consent or knowledge,” Faith says.
Faith’s mom died in 2021. After the funeral, Faith said she was not ready to bury her mother’s remains, which is why they were still in the funeral home when it caught fire.
“They offered me money to reimburse me for everything from the funeral. I have not heard anything back from them so I have an attorney now,” Faith says.
According to a report by the Owensboro Times, Morris was fined several thousand dollars earlier this year and his director’s license was suspended in Kentucky after forging a signature on forms.
An inspector with the Kentucky Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors filed a report earlier this year, saying several funerals were performed without a licensed staffed by Morris Family Funeral Homes, the same company that oversaw Holder Funeral Home.
“I would love an answer but I don’t think I will ever get one as to where my mom’s remains went,” Faith says.
Those who live near the funeral home say there used to be a sign and trailer saying the home was going to be rebuilt. Residents say that sign is no longer on the property.
Eyewitness News has reached out to Holder Funeral Home and Nathan Morris. We have not heard back.
