The Dark Secrets of HBO's The Mortician Docuseries Revealed

I recently came across a gripping, firsthand account of deception in the form of HBO’s latest crime docuseries titled, “The Mortician.” As a viewer, I am drawn into the somber and unsettling tale of how a funeral home callously breached the faith of bereaved families and profited illicitly from their loss.

“The Mortician” delves deep into the shocking events that unfolded at Lamb Funeral Home in Pasadena, California during the 1980s. The series is masterfully directed by Joshua Rofé, a renowned director and executive producer who brought us “Lorena” (2019) and “Sasquatch” (2021). It features authentic footage and interviews with numerous individuals who bore witness to the funeral home staff’s cunning schemes that left families financially drained.

The Embalmer” is poised to stand out among HBO Max’s top documentaries, as it delves into the story of a family-run enterprise that deceived thousands of mourning individuals and financially exploited many to boost their own success. As David Knowles Funeral Service explains, funeral directors are highly trusted professionals worldwide, given the faith and understanding families bestow upon them to aid in organizing a loved one’s funeral or memorial service. “The Embalmer” uncovers how one individual leveraged this trust for personal gain and financial growth.

David Sconce’s Illegal Cremation Business & Crimes Explained

David Sconce Began Working In The Lamb Funeral Home In The 1980s

In the 1980s, the Lamb Funeral Home in Pasadena, California was passed down to David Wayne Sconce. He was the son of the previous owners, Jerry W. Sconce and Laurieanne Lamb Sconce, and a great-grandson of the original founder who established the business in 1929. Before taking over the family business, Sconce harbored dreams of becoming a professional football player in Southern California. He attended Azusa Pacific College, where his father was the head football coach. However, an injury that resulted in a torn ligament ended his dream of playing professionally, causing him to leave college and instead focus on training as an embalmer (as reported by Yahoo Entertainment).

In 1982, David Sconce broadened his family enterprise to establish Coastal Cremations Inc. During the 1980s, his business provided cremation services at half the cost of conventional funeral homes. This move significantly boosted the company’s financial standing, but it also attracted intense criticism towards Sconce for his management of deceased bodies. In the book titled “The Mortician“, former employees alleged that Sconce would burn as many as 15 bodies simultaneously in industrial kilns and steal jewelry and gold teeth from remains. His methods frequently led to mixed ashes being given to families, containing the remains of multiple individuals (as reported by the Los Angeles Times)).

How David Sconce Was Caught For His Crimes

He Pleaded Guilty In 1989 To Mishandling Human Remains

Coastal Cremations raised concerns within the funeral industry due to their exceptionally low service prices and unusually swift cremation process. According to former employees who spoke in the publication The Mortician, the owner, Sconce, allegedly accelerated cremations by even breaking bones in the bodies. Sconce’s ex-wife, Barbara Hunt, disclosed that he seldom discussed his job, but on one occasion, she observed him extracting gold teeth from a body, reminiscing that later, “he had sold the gold.

1987 marked the time when the criminal activities of David Sconce were brought to light. Investigators received a tip from a former World War II soldier, who lived near Coastal Cremations and had been involved in the liberation of Auschwitz. In his phone call, he expressed his concerns about an unusual smell of burning flesh coming from the funeral home. Upon investigation, trash cans filled with ashes were discovered at the facility (as reported by Cracked). This led to the arrest of David Sconce and his parents for mishandling corpses, as well as the exposure of illegal practices at Coastal Cremations (according to AOL).

What David Sconce’s Sentence Was & How Long He Was In Prison

He Was Arrested In 2013 For Murder Conspiracy

In the year 1989, David Sconce faced charges for defacing and burning bodies, planning assaults against competing funeral homes. During his court proceedings, he initially denied these accusations but later admitted guilt to 21 of them, resulting in a five-year prison term (as reported by the Los Angeles Times). Subsequently, his parents, Laurieanne and Jerry Sconce, were exonerated from charges related to mass cremation and body mutilation in 1992 (according to MovieDelic>). By 1991, having served merely half of his sentence, Sconce was released from prison but placed on probation as part of his release (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution>).

After being convicted in 1989, Sconce had recurring legal issues. In 1990, while serving time, he was accused of conspiring to kill a rival mortician. In 1997, he admitted guilt for this crime and was put on lifetime probation with the stipulation that additional offenses could lead to a life sentence. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, in 2012, David Sconce was found guilty of breaking his probation by possessing a stolen gun and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, as reported by Corrections 1.

What David Sconce Has Said About His Cremation Business & Illegal Actions

He Continues To Deny Any Guilt For His Crimes

In “The Mortician,” previous patrons of Lamb Funeral Home and Coastal Cremations shared their encounters with David Sconce, shedding light on the full extent of his wrongdoings. One former client detailed her faith in Sconce to manage the cremation of her father, unaware that Sconce had dishonored and defiled his remains by intermingling them with those of others, using words like “incomprehensible” to describe such actions. David Sconce was featured in the HBO documentary series, discussing his tenure in the cremation industry and his illicit activities.

In the HBO documentary series, David Sconce appeared to exhibit no regret or penitence for his handling of deceased bodies, asserting that he “didn’t assign any worth to anyone once they were gone and dead”. He openly discussed his ability to cremate multiple bodies simultaneously during the series, even boasting that it took him either “two hours to cremate one person” or “two and a half hours for ten bodies”. According to People, Sconce also spoke disdainfully about the ashes remaining after the cremations were finished, stating they were no longer “your loved one”.

Where The Mortician’s David Sconce Is Today

Scone Has Been Out On Parole Since 2023

In the HBO documentary series, David Sconce repeatedly disregarded public views on his criminal activities and stated that those who opted for his funeral services essentially received what they had paid for. The series also reveals that while he was a mortician, Sconce drove a Corvette with a license plate hinting at the sinister aspect of his crematorium’s operations. In 2023, David Sconce was granted parole after serving a decade in prison and was subsequently sent to California for multiple parole infractions (as reported by Missoulian)).

Since his release from prison in 2025, David Sconce has been living secretly somewhere in California and has avoided any additional legal issues. He has kept a low profile post-release, with his involvement in the HBO docuseries marking his initial public comments on his illegal funeral services. Despite not providing an explanation for his actions, director Joshua Rofé, during an interview with TIME, suggested that Sconce’s true intent was financial gain. Furthermore, Rofé mentioned that Sconce exhibited a chilling demeanor when discussing his crimes, making the already harrowing tale portrayed in “The Mortician” even more unsettling.

As a devoted fan, I’ve been gathering information from various reliable sources such as David Knowles Funeral Services, Yahoo Entertainment, the Los Angeles Times (two different articles), Cracked, AOL, and additional reports from the Los Angeles Times, MovieDelic, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, San Diego Union Tribune, Corrections 1, People, Missoulian, and TIME. Each of these sources has contributed valuable insights into the topic at hand.

2025-06-05 23:48

The Dark Secrets of HBO’s The Mortician Docuseries Revealed