A Texas funeral home worker has been charged with abuse of a corpse after allegedly mutilating a deceased man’s body upon learning he was a registered sex offender.
Amber Laudermilk, 34, an embalmer at Memorial Mortuary & Crematory in Houston, is accused of using a scalpel to remove the genitals of 58-year-old Charles Roy Rodriguez while preparing his body in February 2025. Authorities say she then placed the severed body part in his mouth.
●Funeral Home Worker
According to police, the incident occurred in front of an embalming student, whom Laudermilk allegedly warned, “You didn’t see anything,” after committing the act. Another employee later questioned her about Rodriguez’s injuries, to which she reportedly responded that he had “a lot going on with him,” charging documents state.
Rodriguez, who passed away in January of natural causes at a Houston hospital, had been listed on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s sex offender registry. He was convicted in 2001 of sexually assaulting a 31-year-old woman and sentenced to a decade of probation. It remains unclear how Laudermilk became aware of his criminal history.
●Late sex offender
Harris County Constable Alan Rosen addressed the case, emphasizing the importance of upholding the law.
“No matter what one thinks of his life, the law requires that he be treated with dignity in death,” Rosen said. “The facts clearly indicate she was angry, and I hope after this is resolved in the courts, she gets the help she needs.”
Laudermilk was officially charged with abuse of a corpse after the funeral home reported the incident to authorities.
