Glenn Fleming was shocked by the news of a fellow funeral director's alleged misdeeds.

"I've never heard of anything this bad," he said. "I wish it never happened."

Georgia officials last week arrested Georgia crematory worker Ray Brent Marsh, 28, and charged him with 16 counts of theft by deception after the discovery of nearly 250 remains scattered throughout the crematory's 16-acre property.

The charges stem from Marsh's failure to provide cremation services that had been purchased. He told authorities the crematory's incinerator had been inoperative for a long period of time.

The controversial incident has drawn national attention and shed a new unwanted focus on funeral home business practices, said Fleming, owner of Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St.

"It's a reflection on the whole industry," he said. "This is a delicate enough business to be in; it doesn't need any problems."

The state of Pennsylvania — specifically, the State Board of Funeral Directors — exerts strict guidelines on the cremation process that aim to ensure the deed is thoroughly completed, said Frank Wetzler, owner of Wetzler Funeral Service Inc. in Bellefonte.

Fleming said families requesting cremations must first sign several contracts with the funeral homes. The state board then requires funeral homes to obtain a death certificate, a permit for cremation and written approval from the county coroner before the act is to be performed.

"Funeral directors are held responsible for their actions," Fleming said. "We really try to follow the rules here."

Authorities said Marsh's fraudulent dealings might date back to the mid-90s, when he took over the family business from his ailing father. Many of the bodies had been embalmed and sent from area funeral homes to be cremated at the estate.

If a cadaver is to be held for more than 24 hours prior to cremation, the body is then embalmed at the funeral home, Wetzler said.

"Embalming is the process wherein the fluids and internal organs of a body are removed so that the body does not decompose as fast," said Zachary Nelson (graduate-anthropology).

Wetzler added that if a corpse is not embalmed quickly, blood clots begin to form and the deceased slowly breaks down, making cremation difficult.

Marsh allegedly placed powdered cement in urns that were returned to families, a scam that is entirely feasible, Wetzler said.

"After you cremate a body, it's pulverized just like that white (cement) powder," he said.

Fleming said he was saddened by Marsh's apparent lack of compassion that funeral homes try to exercise when handling the deceased.

"It's a sacred trust that is to be conducted with the highest respect and dignity," he said. "Maybe he was desperate for money."