The haunting true story behind one of California’s most shocking funeral scandals has been brought to life in HBO’s chilling new docuseries, The Mortician. Through interviews, archival footage, and never-before-heard testimonies, the series reveals how a trusted family-owned funeral home in Pasadena descended into a dark pit of greed, deception, and criminal malpractice under the leadership of David Sconce.
What began as a respected family business soon transformed into a horrifying tale of mass cremations, stolen gold teeth, and desecrated bodies — all in the name of profit. HBO’s The Mortician not only chronicles these disturbing events but also forces viewers to examine the ethics of an often-overlooked industry.
The Rise and Fall of the Lamb Funeral Home
Pasadena’s Lamb Funeral Home was a cornerstone of the community for decades. Established and operated by the Lamb family, it gained a reputation for compassion and integrity. That began to unravel in the 1980s when David Sconce, the ambitious son-in-law of the Lamb family, took over the operation.
Instead of following the family’s legacy of respect for the dead, Sconce introduced aggressive business practices that prioritized profit over dignity. Under his control, the funeral home rapidly expanded into multiple services, including cremation, body transport, and even wholesale incineration. The latter, it turns out, would be the epicenter of a scandal that would rock California’s funeral industry.
A Business Model Built on Deception
One of the most disturbing revelations from The Mortician is the extent of deceit involved in Sconce’s operations. Families believed their loved ones were being given dignified cremations — one at a time, with care. In reality, Sconce was cremating up to 200 bodies at once in industrial furnaces. The ashes returned to grieving families were often not from their actual loved ones, but a mix of human remains.
Even more unsettling was the fact that Sconce allegedly instructed staff to break bones with metal poles to fit more bodies into furnaces. Teeth with gold fillings were extracted and sold. According to former employees interviewed in the series, no part of the deceased was off-limits if it had monetary value.
This pattern of exploitation wasn’t just morally corrupt — it was criminal. Investigators eventually discovered falsified death certificates, illegal disposal of medical waste, and unlicensed crematorium operations. In 1987, David Sconce was arrested and later sentenced to prison, ending what authorities described as one of the most grotesque frauds in American funeral history.
The Power of True Crime Storytelling
What makes The Mortician stand out in the increasingly crowded true crime genre is its thoughtful approach to storytelling. Instead of relying solely on sensationalism, HBO’s team focuses on the emotional toll endured by victims’ families. Interviews with those affected by Sconce’s actions serve as a powerful reminder that these were real people, not just statistics or plot points.
“The goal wasn’t just to shock,” said series director Lena Martinez. “We wanted to respect the victims while exposing a systemic failure in oversight and ethics within the funeral industry.”
The Mortician also examines how a lack of state and federal regulations allowed Sconce to operate unchecked for years. This raises serious concerns about the funeral industry at large — a sector rarely discussed, let alone scrutinized, in public discourse.
A Wake-Up Call for Funeral Industry Reform
Since the scandal broke in the late ’80s, laws surrounding crematoriums and mortuary practices have been strengthened in California and beyond. But The Mortician suggests that more oversight is still needed, especially in areas like third-party body transport and cremation services. One of the docuseries’ most impactful moments features a whistleblower explaining how easy it still is to manipulate documentation and operate illegally.
Some experts believe the series could serve as a catalyst for a broader national conversation about how the dead are treated. “We’re overdue for a reexamination of how we handle death in America,” said Dr. Evan Hargrove, a forensic ethics professor at UCLA. “This series forces us to ask hard questions — not just about one man’s crimes, but about the entire infrastructure that enabled them.”
Viewer Reactions and Critical Praise
Since its premiere, The Mortician has garnered critical acclaim for its in-depth research and emotionally charged narrative. Viewers have taken to social media to express their horror, outrage, and disbelief. Some shared stories of their own mistrust or negative experiences with funeral homes, revealing that Sconce’s actions, while extreme, may not be isolated cases.
Critics from The New York Times, Variety, and The Guardian have praised the series as a “masterclass in investigative documentary filmmaking.” One reviewer noted, “You’ll come for the mystery but stay for the gut-wrenching humanity.”
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The Mortician: More Than Just a True Crime Docuseries
Ultimately, The Mortician is not just about one man’s greed and deception. It’s about the consequences of turning a sacred rite — the care for the dead — into a business with minimal accountability. The series also sheds light on the deep emotional trauma inflicted upon the families who placed their trust in what they thought was a reputable institution.
As the closing credits roll on the final episode, viewers are left not just with shock, but with empathy — and perhaps even a new level of awareness about how we as a society deal with death. The story of David Sconce and the Lamb Funeral Home is one that needed to be told, and HBO has done so with clarity, sensitivity, and purpose. You can also watch this show on Prime Video.
For anyone curious about the dark corners of human behavior, institutional failure, and ethical boundaries, The Mortician is a must-watch. But be warned — it’s not for the faint of heart.
Also, read about Bree Purganan.
