Stillborn baby found in laundry in Louisiana. Dallas funeral home investigated.
Dallas-based Golden Gate Funeral Home is under investigation after the body of a stillborn infant who was supposed to be cremated was found nearly 200 miles away at a Louisiana laundry service, police said.
Officers were called to Alsco Uniforms in Shreveport about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 28. Employees thought they’d found a doll in the linens, but quickly discovered it was the remains of a small child, Shreveport police said in a news release.
Investigators learned the baby was stillborn in Dallas on May 3, and Golden Gate Funeral Home had conducted the funeral service on May 17. The infant was scheduled to be cremated, according to the release, but the body was accidentally taken to Shreveport with a load of dirty linens.
A spokesperson for the funeral home declined to comment when reached by phone Friday afternoon.
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith called it a “deeply distressing situation.”
“Our thoughts are with the family of the child as this investigation unfolds,” Smith said in the release.
Golden Gate, a family-owned and operated business, has locations in Dallas, Fort Worth and Tallulah, Louisiana. The funeral provider has been the subject of several lawsuits, including allegations that Golden Gate mishandled loved ones’ remains.
Authorities in Shreveport notified the Texas Funeral Services Commission after the infant was discovered, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV. The agency opened a complaint against Golden Gate, which was already under investigation for some unrelated complaints.
“This case has created unnecessary and deeply distressing obstacles for a grieving family due to alleged negligence,” the Texas Funeral Services Commission told WFAA in a statement. “The Commission is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation to determine whether the child’s remains were mishandled. If violations are substantiated, appropriate enforcement actions will be taken.”
