Only on News 12 at 6 o'clock, October 6, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga -- Only on 12 tonight. The Georgia State Board of
Funeral Services launches an investigation into Dent's Undertaking Establishment after News 12 calls-in one family's story.

It started last night (Sunday, October 5) at Dent's. News 12's Lynnsey Gardner was there with cameras rolling, she's in our newsroom with the latest.

The Gowdy family is crying foul after the condition they found Joshua Gowdy's body last night, five days after they turned him over to the care of Dent's Undertaking Establishment.

"They just done messed my Daddy up! They just done messed him up!" cries Yvonne Gowdy. It was an emotional and disturbing Sunday evening for the Gowdy family at Dent's Undertaking Establishment.

Franklin Dunn is Joshua Gowdy's stepson. "That's not my Daddy laying in there, this is my Daddy and that body laying in there don't look nothing like my father. If that's my father, than they done really did something really bad."

This is how the family remembers 74-year-old Joshua Gowdy, but instead they are now left with a very troubling last image -- "He's swollen. There's blood running out of his nose, blood running out of his ears. The casket is soaked. It's filthy." says Kahtonna Allen, Gowdy's granddaughter.

And that's not all, Yvonne Gowdy, Joshua Gowdy's daughter, "Flies in there, the scent in there stink. You have to cover your face up to go in there."

The Coroner's Office says Joshua Gowdy died of a heart attack while sleeping on Wednesday morning. The Gowdy family took photos from inside Dent's and News 12 showed them to Richmond County's Coroner, Grover Tuten. "We compared the photos you showed me with the photos we took at the residence and they're unrecognizable. It doesn't look like the same person. He's someone who has been abused. Easiest way I can put it, that body has been abused."

The Coroner says that's because in his professional opinion, Gowdy's remains were not properly cared for -- the question -- was Mr. Gowdy ever embalmed?

News 12 tried to talk with the Director Sunday night, twice, trying to get answers.

We came back today (Monday) after Frank Griffin identified himself as the owner and director Sunday night. But, records show the licensed director is Thomasine Ketch.

Gardner, "Mr. Griffin?"
Griffin, "I'm not talking to you."
Gardner, "Is Thomasine Ketch here today?"
Griffin, "No ma'am."
Gardner, "So you still don't have any comment on camera?"
Griffin, "No ma'am."

News 12 did speak with Mr. Griffin off camera yesterday evening. He told reporter Lynnsey Gardner Mr. Gowdy was embalmed on Thursday. Then, a minute and a half later, in that same conversation with Ms. Gardner, Griffin did admit there was a question to if Mr. Gowdy was ever embalmed at all.

Before the body reached Dent's, it was at W. H. May's Mortuary for just over five hours. Two days later, William H Mays III said Frank Griffin called from Dent's with problems. "He said they were having problems with the body and I noticed something was strange because he said we're not able to get any fluid and I said when were y'all able to start your procedure? And, I never got an answer. I never got an answer."

Answers the Gowdy family is still looking for on a day they had to bury their loved one who they no longer recognized as their own.

The family told Ms. Gardner today they had to opt for an empty casket funeral because of the smell and condition of Mr. Gowdy's remains and when they got to the burial site, they could smell the decomposition of Mr. Gowdy's body from the road.

The family told News 12 they paid Dent's Undertaking Establishment a total of almost $9,000.00 and that Dent's has offered to reimburse them half of the embalming fee which on average would come to about $300.00.

News 12's report on the Gowdy Family concerns about Dent's Undertaking showed multiple persons who appear or are identified as employees or the owner of the Funeral Home. Frank Griffin, shown standing outside the business, identified himself as the owner. A second person leaving the Funeral Home in a car along with a third person seen in the business doorway also represented themselves to our reporter as an employees of Dent's.