Corpse Confusion

Unattended bodies at vacant Fort Worth funeral home prompt police investigation

Fort Worth police were called to the vacant Johnson Family Mortuary on July 15 after several unattended bodies were found in the building. Sergeant Raymond Bush says the department is not releasing an exact number, because the investigation is ongoing.

The South Handley Drive property had been occupied by tenants who were running the mortuary; they were asked to leave by the landlord two weeks ago.

Bush says the owner of the building contacted police around 8 am after visiting the property. Although there were no employees on the scene, the landlord discovered multiple corpses. Bush says the utilities were still functioning in the building.

"The responding officers did a security sweep of the building before calling in the homicide unit," Bush says. "At this point it is just an investigation, but there is a possibility it could be an abuse of corpse case."

Abuse of corpse is a class A misdemeanor in Texas, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. The number listed on the Johnson Family Mortuary website is no longer in service; a man who answered the cellphone number listed on the website said it was "a wrong number."

Dondre and Derrick Johnson opened the Johnson Family Mortuary in July 2011 in Fort Worth. The twins had once planned to add locations in Beaumont and South Bend, Indiana.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office has taken possession of the bodies and is working to identify them and notify family members. Anyone who recently dealt with the Johnson Family Mortuary and is concerned about the whereabouts of their relative's remains is asked to call the ME's investigative unit at 817-920-5700 x. 5.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

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Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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