CASWELL COUNTY, N.C. — The chilling accusations rocked Caswell County. A funeral home director was accused of stashing corpses he was hired to cremate. The disturbing story spread across social media.
WFMY's parent company, TEGNA, caught wind of the accused crimes and investigation and wanted to produce a podcast for The Daily Crime. They interviewed WFMY News 2's Chad Silber who's spent extensive time covering this story.
Months ago, investigators said they found two decaying bodies in a horse trailer on property in rural Semora Township.
Within days, Caswell County Sheriff's deputies arrested J.R. Whitt, the director at Harrelson Funeral Home in Yanceyville.
The sheriff's office said the corpses were meant for cremation. Investigators said Whitt took the money from the families to have them cremated but never finished the job.
This investigation came on the heels of a larger investigation from the North Carolina Department of Insurance, which handles cases involving funeral homes.
According to an indictment, Whitt forged the signature of a dead woman to collect nearly $4,000 from a life insurance policy. He's then accused of notarizing the document himself.
In total, he's facing 10 felony counts, which range from insurance fraud to obtaining property by false pretenses and disturbing human remains.