Austin mortuary employee arrested, accused of ‘experimenting' on corpses
Editor's note: This story contains details related to mutilated corpses.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police have arrested a woman investigators believe forged death certificates and cut limbs off of corpses to conduct embalming-related experiments.
The suspect, Adeline Ngan-Binh Bui, 50, is charged with Abuse of Corpse Without Legal Authority and Tampering with Government Records. According to online court records, she is out on bond. Police say she turned herself in to the Travis County Jail on April 18.
'This case involves complexities that are not immediately apparent and should not be sensationalized,' said Jessica Huynh, Bui's attorney on behalf of Smith and Vinson Law Firm. 'Our legal team remains fully committed to defending and advocating for our client… with the expectation of fairness and due process.'
Bui's arrest warrant states she did this while working at Capital Mortuary Services in north Austin. The business itself told KXAN it has no comment on the case at this time.
On April 2, an investigator with the Texas Funeral Service Commission (TFSC) informed the Austin Police Department (APD) she was conducting an internal investigation into Capital Mortuary, located at 201 Victor Street, which is near Interstate 35 and Braker Lane, according to court documents.
According to documents contained by KXAN, the TFSC issued a cease and desist letter to Capital Mortuary on April 10.
This investigation stemmed from a complaint to the TFSC from a former employee who said Bui had 'fraudulently initiated and obtained at least 10 death certificates under his name,' and that he was aware of 'experiments' Bui would allegedly conduct on corpses' arms. APD's investigation eventually revealed 128 cases where Bui used the former employee's name to complete or amend death certificates.
These 'experiments,' according to Bui's arrest affidavit, involve her injecting formaldehyde into the arms to see 'the effect it had over time on severed extremities.' The former employee who made the complaint showed police a screenshot from a work computer in December 2023, which appeared to show Bui posting photos and updates about the project under a conversation thread titled 'Freedom Art Experiment.'
The TFSC investigator wrote in her report that once Bui was finished with the limbs she 'then allowed the severed body parts to be placed in the crematory retort, where the body parts in their dissected and disturbed state, would be cremated.'
According to Bui's arrest affidavit, TFSC Executive Director Scott Bingaman said Capital Mortuary was in violation of Texas Health and Safety Code by performing these actions. The commission also called the actions 'unethical and unauthorized experiences on human cadavers.'
TFSC deferred comments on the case to APD.
Police interviewed Bui when the department executed an April 10 search warrant for Capital Mortuary.
According to her arrest affidavit, she admitted to using the former employee's identity to submit death certificates without his consent and further confirmed that the employee had never done a death certificate at her facility. She told police she used his name because it was an option on a drop-down menu on the forms.
Bui told APD she 'directed her employees to conduct experiments on bodies to study the effects of embalming fluid with and without formaldehyde,' which included 'cutting heads, arms and spines from remains sent to her facility while acting in the licensed capacity as a mortuary,' according to her arrest affidavit. She guessed around 15 bodies were 'mutilated and subject to experimentation.'
The TFSC investigator said the allegations against Bui are a 'recurring theme' related to 'miscommunication with families, improper documentation, unprofessional conduct and possible fraud.'
Investigators say Bui worked with a medical-training company, MedtoMarket, on the 'experiments.'
Detectives interviewed the company's CEO who, according to Bui's records, said they had a contractual agreement with Capital Mortuary for 'transport and cremation services.' The CEO denied any 'experimental testing,' but said he knew Capital Mortuary was embalming arms to see how long they could preserve them. When APD asked if that was a normal practice, MedtoMarket's CEO said 'medical schools do it all the time, yeah,' according to Bui's affidavit.
MedtoMarket also told police the company asked Capital Mortuary to do embalming work on two arms.
In a statement to KXAN, MedtoMarket said it 'has become aware of certain allegations related to a mortuary MedtoMarket has contracted with in performing its important work and mission. MedtoMarket will cooperate with law enforcement and state regulatory officials as part of any investigation.'
The company also said it is an 'approved anatomical facility,' which, according to the TFSC's statements in the affidavit, would potentially authorize it to perform the embalming actions Bui is accused of doing.
But TFSC's executive director, told police in regards to Bui performing them in her capacity as a Capital Mortuary employee 'it is unlawful for a commercial embalming establishment to use a dead human body for research or educational purposes.'
In a statement Wednesday, APD said 'The TFSC's administrative investigation and APD's criminal investigations remain open and ongoing. APD and the TFSC are committed to enforcing state regulations, protecting the public from predatory practices, and ensuring that decedent remains are treated with dignity and respect in accordance with Texas law.'
According to the aforementioned cease and desist letter issued to Capital Mortuary, the facility was required to do the following within 14 days:
Become complaint with Texas code
Pass a subsequent inspection by the TFSC
Submit a copy of all documented evidence for all donor remains for licensed anatomical facilities.
Failure to comply with the order 'will result in immediate enforcement action,' according to the letter, as well as a fee of up to $5,000 per violation day.
The TFSC stated in the letter that Capital Mortuary 'may have performing embalming acts outside of the licensed scope and authority' of its license and that 'it is a violation to allow the sue of a dead human body by an embalming establishment for research or educational purposes unless it is done for a school or college of mortuary science' and in compliance with state code.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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