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State health officials remove remains after Heaven Bound crematory inspection; permit suspended
Summary
Maryland health officials said they used abatement authority, subpoenas and a summary suspension of Heaven Bound Crematory’s permit after inspectors found a broken retort, refrigeration gaps and sanitation problems that left dozens of decedents at the facility.
The Maryland Department of Health and the State Anatomy Board told the Health and Government Operations Committee that they intervened after inspectors found a malfunctioning retort, delayed cremations, refrigeration gaps and sanitation problems at Heaven Bound Cremation Service.
Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health, said the state first learned of the incident on Jan. 10 after the Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors notified the Charles County Health Department. He said Charles County alerted the state on Jan. 13 and the state convened a response team that same day. Under local public-health authority they issued an abatement order and gave the facility 72 hours to comply, Kalyanaraman said.
Kalyanaraman described the timeline: investigators found 25 decedents at the facility on Jan. 16, and by Jan. 17 — the 72‑hour inspection — 18 decedents remained. "So we did serve a subpoena under the secretary's authority to get records pertaining to those 18 decedents," he said. The Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors then "severely suspended the crematory permit of Heaven Bound and the crematory operators," which prevented further handling at the site.
On Jan. 18, Kalyanaraman said, the State Anatomy Board removed 18 decedents from Heaven Bound and sheltered them in the anatomy board's facility. The State Anatomy Board contacted next of kin, recorded 16 family wishes by the end of that week and completed dispositions for all 18 families about a week later, Kalyanaraman said. He added the department monitored cleanup of biohazardous materials and on Feb. 10 found the facility had completed the necessary cleaning and sealed biohazardous material for pickup; a Feb. 7 checklist had listed final items needed to clear the site.
Kalyanaraman framed the action as a public-health abatement intended to protect the public from "imminent risk" posed by improperly managed remains and biohazardous materials. He said the plan allowed either return of decedents to originating funeral homes or transfer to another funeral home; unclaimed decedents would become the State Anatomy Board's responsibility for disposition.
Separately, members of the State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors described organizational and staffing problems the board says it is addressing. Erica Malone, executive director, said the board is authorized for 11 members but had six at the time of the briefing and that the board's staff complement is six positions; Malone said the board had four staff on hand, including one inspector/investigator for the entire state.
Andrew Liberto, the board's inspector and investigator, told the committee he inspected three to six establishments per day after the board's new executive director began work but that from 2022 through much of 2023 he had been in the office and not able to perform inspections because the board lacked staff. Liberto said the board currently has an inspections backlog of about 90 establishments (he said the backlog had been as high as about 300 before new hires and efforts to clear inspections).
Board leaders asked for better interagency communication and additional staff funding. Malone said the board is working on standard operating procedures, an automated complaint submission platform, updated complaint‑committee cadence and fee regulation adjustments to increase resources. Charlotte Hoffman, the board's first vice president and a consumer representative, said confidentiality rules in COMAR limit how much the board can publish about open investigations, but suggested procedural and statutory changes to improve the board's ability to act on urgent matters.
In committee exchanges, MDH and board officials said the summary suspensions and subpoenas were taken under statutory authority; the board declined to discuss details of pending litigation related to the case. Board members said Heaven Bound exists as a legal entity but "is not operating as a crematorium" because of the suspension of its license; the board said it could not disclose whether the facility could seek to resume operations because of ongoing actions and litigation.
