Warning: contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find distressing
A mortuary worker has been charged with allegedly abusing the corpse of a convicted sex offender.
Amber Laudermilk worked as an embalmer at Memorial Mortuary & Crematory in Houston, Texas, before she was accused of castrating a dead body post-mortem.
The undertakers had received the body of Charles Roy Rodriguez, whom Laudermilk stands accused of abusing.
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Rodriguez was a life-registered sex offender who died of natural causes at a Houston hospital in January this year at the age of 58, reports The Mirror.
He received the sentence in 2001 after sexually assaulting a 31-year-old woman.
Court documents show his body arrived at the mortuary on February 7.
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When Laudermilk discovered Rodriguez's history, it is alleged she used a scalpel to abuse his body.
Witness claim they saw the 34-year-old jab the blade into his groin on two occasions before chopping off his penis and putting it in his mouth.
Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said: "No matter what one thinks of his life, the law requires that he be treated with dignity in death.
"This case is about two troubled people: the victim who was a registered sex offender and the defendant, who is accused of viciously attacking his dead body," he added.
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Laudermilk has been charged with the abuse of a corpse, a felony, and has been given a $5,000 bond before her next hearing on May 13.
“I don’t know the suspect’s past, but we have the utmost empathy for anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault or is the family or friend of someone who has been the victim of a sexual assault,” Rosen continued. “The facts clearly indicate she was angry, and I hope after this is resolved in the courts, she gets the help she needs.”
Charging documents identify two employees at the mortuary witnessed the alleged crime, reports NBC News.
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Laudermilk also reportedly told a witness, an embalming student, "You didn't see anything," in a way that the witness 'perceived to be as threatening.'
The second witness claimed to notice Rodriguez's groin was 'disfigured' which Laudermilk allegedly covered up with a towel.
When the witness asked Laudermilk what had happened at the time, she allegedly responded that the dead man had 'a lot going on with him,' according to the charging documents.
A complaint was subsequently filed to local police as of February 19 and earlier this month, the Texas Funeral Service Commission suspended Laudermilk's embalmer license.
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A spokesperson with Harris County Precinct One also told the news outlet that Laudermilk surrendered herself in to the authorities and is in custody at Harris County Jail.
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