In their quiet moments of farewell, families trust morticians with their loved ones, expecting care, respect, and dignity. These professionals, often seen as pillars of support during grief, play crucial roles in the mourning process. Beneath the surface of this trusted profession, however, lies a troubling reality.
Some in the funeral industry, unfortunately, exploit grieving families due to fraud and greed. This exploitation leads to the industry being labeled as predatory, with families often pressured into expensive services they can’t afford. Jessica Mitford’s 1963 book, “American Way of Death,” highlighted these issues when the average funeral cost was about $750 (around $7,500 in today’s money). Now, funeral costs can soar to $12,000 or more, with cremation services costing between $6,000 and $7,000. These rising costs place a heavy financial burden on mourning families, making them more susceptible to deceit during their vulnerable times.
David Wayne Sconce’s crimes occurred within this context of trust and vulnerability. Born into the funeral industry, Sconce’s great-grandfather founded Lamb Funeral Home in Pasadena, Calif., in 1929. By the time Sconce entered the family business, his parents, Laurieanne Lamb Sconce and Jerry Sconce, were running it. In 1982, David Sconce got his embalming license and later started his own crematory, Coastal Cremations, Inc., offering services at half the industry cost by cutting corners in deeply disturbing ways.
The scandal began unraveling in 1987 when a fire department found Sconce’s crematory operating illegally in a ceramics factory. Business was booming so much that both the Pasadena Crematorium and the ceramics factory processed multiple bodies illegally. Employees later revealed they cremated up to 15 corpses at a time, completely disregarding laws. Shockingly, employees also testified about how remains were mishandled and gold fillings were extracted from bodies for profit.
Sconce’s unethical actions didn’t end there. His family business ventured into selling body parts through Coastal International Eye and Tissue Bank, forging consents to obtain and sell body parts like brains, hearts, and lungs to medical schools. This led to a massive lawsuit in 1991 involving 20,000 relatives of people cremated by the funeral home, with the plaintiffs seeking $15.5 million.
Adding to his list of crimes, Sconce engaged in violent acts to eliminate competition. In one instance, an industry newsletter editor, Ron Hast, threatened to expose Sconce’s practices. Hast was later attacked by men paid by Sconce. Another competitor, Tim Waters, who had aggressively taken business away from Sconce, was rumored to have been poisoned by him, although charges were later dropped.
In 1991, Sconce also faced conspiracy charges for soliciting the murder of Elie Estephan, a funeral home owner involved in a messy divorce linked to financial interests. Despite ongoing investigations, Sconce served only part of his 5-year sentence and later continued illegal activities, including selling forged bus tickets and a stolen firearm, while violating probation terms.
By 2011, Sconce faced federal firearms charges and was eventually sentenced to a 25-to-life sentence due to his persistent criminal behavior. Paroled in early 2023, Sconce’s future remains uncertain, but it’s hoped his criminal activities have ended for good.
