Philly funeral director, mortuary company fined $300,000 over bodies left in garage

A funeral director and a Philadelphia funeral home have both been fined for storing bodies in a garage over the summer.  

The professional licenses of Powell Mortuary Services in North Philadelphia and supervisor Janet Dailey have been suspended by the state Board of Funeral Directors.  

After neighbors complained of a stench, three bodies were found decomposing in the home’s storage garage, said Peter Speaks of the Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees funeral directors.

“The Board of Funeral Directors found this conduct in violation of the funeral director law and was so irresponsible and unprofessional and egregious,” he said Tuesday. “It also showed a complete amount of disrespect and indignity towards the families and the proper care of the bodies.”

Dailey has been fined $180,000 and the funeral home $120,000 — the maximum allowed.

Neither Dailey nor the home could not be reached for comment.  The business phone has been disconnected.