JEFFERSONVILLE — The licenses for an Indiana funeral director and his facility have been suspended more than a month after 31 unrefrigerated corpses were found in body bags throughout the facility.
Randy Ray Lankford agreed to surrender the licenses for himself and his facility, Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center. The State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service approved the suspensions Thursday.
The bodies were found by Jeffersonville Police on July 1. Authorities say some of the bodies had been kept there for an extended period, with at least one of them having been there since March. The officers also found the cremated remains of 17 individuals.
“Grieving families must be able to trust that their loved ones’ remains will be respectfully and properly handled,” Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a news release. “Further, the unsanitary conditions at this funeral home posed a clear and immediate threat to public health and safety.
At least two families have filed lawsuits in connection to the case. The licenses are suspended indefinitely.
Documents say the Clark County Coroner's Office is currently in the process of identifying the bodies and remains and returning them to their families.
The investigation is ongoing, and Rokita's office is asking anyone with information to contact the Attorney General’s Licensing Enforcement Section by calling 1-800-382-5516.
-
Plainfield could be home to the next data center
The Plainfield Plan Commission unanimously approved a primary plat petition for a proposed data center at the meeting on Monday night.
Venezuelan restaurant in Indy turns into community hub amid homeland crisis
A Venezuelan restaurant in Indianapolis has become a gathering place for community members processing the dramatic political changes unfolding in their homeland thousands of miles away.
Decluttering after the holidays? Here's where to take your old electronics
If decluttering is one of your goals for 2026, here's how you can declutter some of those old electronic items.
Indiana lawmaker proposes state takeover of public safety downtown
Safety in the city’s core is a frequent topic of discussion following violent crimes. Now, one state lawmaker has introduced legislation that would allow the state to step in.
