An investigation stemming from a particularly disturbing consumer complaint filed with the Texas Funeral Service Commission in February has led Harris County authorities to charge a Houston embalmer with felony abuse of a corpse.
A March 6, 2025 affidavit prepared by Harris County District Court states that in early February, Amber Paige Laudermilk, 34, who was employed as an embalmer by a Houston area funeral home, allegedly castrated the body of 58-year-old Charles Roy Rodriguez, a registered sex offender who had died of natural causes in January.
According to court documents shared in a video on the Facebook page of the Office of Constable Alan Rosen, Harris County Constable Precinct 1 and excerpted by an Austin, Texas news outlet, Laudermilk “she stabbed Rodriguez’s genitals twice before castrating him, then ‘stuffed’ the genitals into his mouth.”
The documents allege that while preparing Rodriguez’s body for cremation, Laudermilk discovered his status as a registered sex offender, and seemingly reacted to this identification by mutilating the body. This act was reportedly witnessed by an embalming trainee and another employee. Laudermilk allegedly threatened the trainee to remain silent about the incident, saying “You didn’t see anything,” in a manner that the student “perceived to be as threatening.”
Charles Roy Rodriguez had a criminal history dating back to 2001, when he was charged with sexual assault and received ten years of deferred adjudication. Since 2002, he had been registered as a sex offender with the Texas Department of Public Safety. No indication that Laudermilk had a previous connection to Rodriguez could be located online.
“I don’t know the suspect’s past, but we have the utmost empathy for anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault or is the family or friend of someone who has been the victim of a sexual assault,” Constable Rosen said. “The facts clearly indicate she was angry and I hope after this is resolved in the courts, she gets the help she needs.”
Laudermilk surrendered to authorities on March 10. She was released on a $5,000 bond and is prohibited from working as an embalmer pending the outcome of her case. Her embalming license has also been suspended by the Texas Funeral Service Commission. The abuse of a corpse charge carries a potential sentence of up to two years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
