Mother of woman left to decompose at Indianapolis funeral home seeks justice

INDIANAPOLIS — A mom is devastated after her daughter’s physique decomposed, whereas below the care of an Indianapolis funeral dwelling.

Rawls Mortuary is now closed for enterprise, however the legal professional normal’s workplace and different state businesses are investigating.

WRTV’s Rachael Wilkerson solely spoke to the mom of the deceased who mentioned this by no means ought to have occurred.

“Why would anyone need to deal with my daughter like this? She did not deserve this. no person deserves this,” Vicki Stewart mentioned.

A purple urn, footage and 4 bears are all Vicki Stewart has left to recollect her beloved daughter, 32-year-old Tymme Stewart-Dorris.

Tymme handed away on July 14 from a coronary heart situation.

“My daughter was a vibrant particular person, and she or he would give her final shirt order collar, no matter, to an individual to assist,” Stewart mentioned.

Tymme was taken to Rawls Mortuary on Keystone Avenue to be embalmed and ready for an open casket funeral.

Paperwork from the Lawyer Common’s workplace present she was left for days with out ever being embalmed.

“Her physique was so deteriorated, so I needed to do a direct cremation,” Stewart mentioned.

Stewart claims the funeral director, Benajmin Rawls, requested if her daughter may very well be cremated, so she known as Ashley Martin with Kirkland Funeral House for assist.

Martin suggested Stewart, she needed to file paperwork earlier than her daughter may legally be cremated.

“Miss Martin was the very best,” Stewart mentioned. “She was the most effective professionals I’ve ever labored with. She informed us precisely what was happening. She contacted the state. We had a state investigator in addition to Miss Martin come and look at my daughter’s physique. We turned every part over to the Lawyer Common’s Workplace at the moment.”

Tymme was then cremated.

Nonetheless, Stewart mentioned family and friends did not get to pay their respects to Tymme.

“I wanted to see her. I wanted to have closure,” Stewart mentioned. “Now, myself, her father, none of us can have closure. We’ve to recollect they see her the final time. My grandchildren cannot even see their mom for the final time. He took that away from us.”

On July 19, the Indiana skilled licensing company inspected Rawls Mortuary. It failed and was deemed a right away hazard to public well being and security.

Rawls license has been suspended and the funeral house is now quickly shut down.

Rawls was issued a funeral director license in November of 2013.

He was issued a funeral dwelling license in November of 2019.

In response to the Chicago Tribue, Rawls’ was accused of hiding two infants within the ceiling at Smith, Bizzell, Warner and Sons Funeral House in Gary, IN throughout an inspection by the Indiana Skilled Licensing Company in 2015.

After the Lawyer Common’s Workplace filed two petitions to droop Rawls’ license, he agreed to a abstract suspension of his license and of the funeral dwelling’s license.

In response to the phrases of the voluntary abstract suspension agreements, Benjamin Rawls and Rawls Mortuary will probably be suspended from training till October 6, the following date that the State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service meets.

“It is comforting, comforting to know that for the following 90 days, he will be unable to follow or do that to anybody else,” Stewart mentioned. “However I am going for the lengthy suspension. I would like his license revoked. I do not need this to occur to a different household.”

Companies for different deceased people had been scheduled this weekend at Rawls Mortuary, however an worker tells WRTV all family members have been eliminated and transferred to different funeral houses.