Decomposing Bodies Found Inside Business In The Hudson Valley

State inspectors were left speechless by what they found inside a funeral home in the Hudson Valley.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced the indictment of a Long Island man who allegedly ran a funeral home in the Hudson Valley without a license, defrauding grieving families out of thousands of dollars while bodies decomposed inside the facility.

13 Decomposing Bodies Found At Hudson Valley Funeral Home

When state health inspectors showed up unannounced at Camelot Funeral Home in Mount Vernon on January 30, what they found was horrifying.

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Thirteen bodies in various states of decomposition throughout the building. Six were in the chapels. Three more were in a detached garage, two of them stacked on top of each other. Investigators also recovered 17 boxes of cremated remains from the basement.

“This is a deeply disturbing and heartbreaking situation that has caused unimaginable pain for countless families,” Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said. “At a time when families were most vulnerable, they were taken advantage of in the most egregious way.

AG: Mount Vernon, New York, Funeral Home Owner Had No License

Michael Naughton, 55, of Baldwin, New York, is accused of operating Camelot Funeral Home despite having his funeral directing license revoked six years ago, in 2019.

According to the Attorney General's office, between at least May 2025 and January 2026, Naughton allegedly negotiated prices with grieving families, signed contracts for funeral services, arranged transport of the deceased, presided over funeral services, and oversaw the handling of remains.

He's also charged with forging a Burial Transit Permit, the document required to legally transfer remains to a place of burial.

“New Yorkers have the right to trust that they are receiving the funeral services they paid for and that the remains of their loved ones are being treated with the highest level of care during times of grief,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald.

20-Count Indictment: More Victims Possible

Naughton is now facing a 20-count indictment including grand larceny, scheme to defraud, criminal possession of a forged instrument, and nine counts of unlicensed practice of funeral directing. If convicted on the top count, he faces up to seven years in prison.

Since the January inspection, the Attorney General's office has been working with the Westchester County Medical Examiner to identify the recovered remains and return them to their families.

If you believe you were impacted, the Attorney General's office wants to hear from you. You can reach them at camelot.complaint@ag.ny.gov.

Attorney General James is also reminding all New Yorkers to verify that a funeral director is properly licensed through the Department of Health before making any arrangements.

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