A FUNERAL home worker has been arrested for allegedly experimenting on corpses and taking disturbing photos of severed, decomposing limbs.
The case of Adeline Ngan-Binh Bui, 50, sheds light on the unsettling practices within funeral homes, raising questions about the treatment of deceased individuals.
Employed at Capital Mortuary Services in Austin, Bui surrendered herself to authorities last week following the discovery of disturbing activities she was reportedly engaged in.
An investigation into Bui’s actions was launched after a former embalmer at the same funeral home informed Texas authorities that she had allegedly forged his signature to acquire a minimum of 10 death certificates without his approval, as detailed in court papers obtained from local Fox affiliate KTBC.
Even more shocking, the ex-embalmer alleged Bui was experimenting on “separated anatomical structures” – specifically the arms of a dead person.
He said Bui injected the severed arms with formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is a colorless, pungent, flammable chemical that has been linked to myeloid leukemia and rare cancers in people exposed to high levels, like industrial workers and embalmers.
The Texas Funeral Services Commission (TFSC) shut down the funeral home on April 10 after receiving the ex-embalmer’s claims.
A cease and desist letter stated it “failed to meet building, health, and safety codes.”
The TFSC also gave the Austin Police Department copies of eight death certificates with the ex-embalmer’s electronic signature, per court docs.
The ex-embalmer said in a sworn statement that he was not even a funeral director at Capital Mortuary Services and that he never obtained those eight death certificates.
TFSC told police it is “not legally permissible” for anyone but the funeral director in charge to sign a death certificate.
Two other forms were also said to be fraudulent.
The ninth form had the ex-embalmer’s name and signature under the title of funeral director and Bui signed as a notary.
In the final form, Bui allegedly wrote to the ex-embalmer, “Let’s us[e] this update to monitor our experiment,” followed by multiple photos of what investigators think were severed arms at various stages of decomposition.
TSFC told the police Bui “then allowed the severed body parts to be placed in the crematory retort, where the body parts, in their dissected and disturbed state, would be cremated,” court docs say.
SUSPECT SPEAKS
Bui allegedly told police that she did use the ex-embalmer’s “Funeral Director in Charge” title on death certificates without his consent.
She allegedly confirmed the ex-embalmer never did any paperwork at the funeral home.
When asked why she put his name down, she said she “had to put someone’s name in there.”
What was Adeline Ngan-Binh Bui charged with?
Adeline Ngan-Binh Bui, a 50-year-old funeral worker, was arrested after she allegedly experimented on corpses and took disturbing photos of severed, decomposing limbs.
Bui was charged with:
- One count of state-jail felony abuse of corpse
- Five counts of second-degree felony tampering with governmental records with intent to defraud or harm
Bui also allegedly said she directed her staff to conduct experiments to see the effect of embalming fluid with and without formaldehyde.
Up to 15 bodies were mutilated and experimented on with the permission of MedtoMarket, a medical training and co-working facility in Austin, Bui said, according to court docs.
The CEO of MedtoMarket denied any “experimental testing” but said Capital Mortuary Service was embalming arms for the company to see how long they could preserve them.
Police also executed a search warrant of the funeral home where they found household power tools that seemed to have human tissue on them.
Bui confirmed that she and her staff used the tools on the dead bodies, according to court papers.
Despite Bui’s alleged admissions, her legal team told KTBC: “Our criminal justice system is based on the presumption of innocence and a careful, critical evaluation of the evidence, facts, and their sources.
“This case involves complexities that are not immediately apparent and should not be sensationalized.
“Our legal team remains fully committed to defending and advocating for our client, Adeline Bui, with the expectation of fairness and due process.”
Bui has been charged with one count of state-jail felony abuse of corpse and five counts of second-degree felony tampering with governmental records with intent to defraud or harm.
