HBO’s new docuseries The Mortician is sending shockwaves through viewers with its chilling account of David Sconce and the Lamb Funeral Home scandal in 1980s Pasadena. Premiering June, the three-part series dives into how Sconce, the privileged heir to a respected mortuary business, turned the Lamb Funeral Home into a house of horrors, exploiting grieving families and the deceased to maximize profits.
Under Sconce’s leadership, the funeral home engaged in mass cremations—sometimes burning up to 200 bodies at once—and mixed remains, robbing families of closure and dignity The docuseries details how Sconce and his staff harvested organs and gold dental fillings, and even discusses allegations of hiring hitmen to target rival morticians who threatened to expose the operation.
Sconce ultimately pleaded guilty to 21 criminal counts, including mutilating corpses, mass cremations, and conspiracy to commit murder, receiving a five-year prison sentence in 1989. He was released after two and a half years, but later returned to prison for violating parole, only to be released again in 2023.
The series features exclusive interviews with Sconce—now 68 and recently out of prison—alongside victims’ families, former employees, and journalists who covered the case Sconce’s own on-camera admissions alternate between denial and disturbing pride in his actions, offering viewers a rare and unsettling glimpse into one of America’s most notorious funeral industry scandals.
The Mortician not only exposes the dark side of the mortuary business but also raises questions about oversight and ethics in an industry built on trust and vulnerability The docuseries airs Sundays on HBO, with new episodes each week.
