Texas embalmer charged with castrating dead sex offender

HOUSTON - A Houston woman who worked at a funeral home is accused of mutilating the body of a dead sex offender, according to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office.

Amber Laudermilk

Amber Paige Laudermilk, 34, who was employed as an embalmer at Memorial Mortuary and Crematory in Houston, is charged with abuse of a corpse, a Texas State Jail Felony. The charge is punishable between six months and two years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine.

According to court documents, she is accused of using a scalpel on February 7, 2025, to mutilate the body of Charles Roy Rodriguez, 58. She later turned herself in to the authorities.

Laudermilk was arraigned on Tuesday morning. Her bond was set at $5,000. 

Amber Laudermilk at arraignment on March 11, 2025 (Source: FOX 26 Houston)

Charles Roy Rodriguez

Rodriguez died of natural causes at a Houston hospital in January.

Rodriguez was a registered sex offender, who received 10 years of deferred adjudication after being charged with sexual assault in 2001.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety sex offender registry, he reported as a sex offender since 2002.

Charles Roy Rodriguez, 58 (Source: Texas Department of Public Safety)

Abuse of a Corpse

What we know:

Court documents show Laudermilk stabbed Rodriguez's genitals twice, then castrated him. After that, court documents say Laudermilk "stuffed" his genitals in his mouth.

She was in the presence of an embalming student at the time of the incident, according to the document. She turned to the student and said, "You didn't see anything."

Laudermilk's charging document says she is accused of threatening the other employees not to say anything. The document says the employees were afraid to report the incident.

Close up of scalpel (Photo by Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Chief Prosecutor of the 209th District Court, Ryan Fuller, told FOX 26 Houston, "On February 7th of 2025, Miss Laudermilk was performing a cremation of a body of an alleged sex offender that during that cremation process, she is alleged to have cut off the sexual organ of that body. There were two witnesses in the room who gave statements to the officers that they witnessed this, that they confronted the defendant, and while confronting the defendant, she advised them not to speak up or say anything."

What they're saying:

"This case is about two troubled people: the victim, who was a registered sex offender, and the defendant, who is accused of viciously attacking his dead body," Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said. "No matter what one thinks of his life, the law requires that he be treated with dignity in death."

"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," 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."

The Texas Funeral Service Commission referred the incident to the Office of Harris County Constable Precinct One for further investigation.

What's next:

Laudermilk will be scheduled for a discovery compliance hearing. The evidence will be turned over, and will include witness statements. Prosecutor Fuller said it is alleged there were other witnesses in the room during the cremation process. Other evidence was collected and will also be turned over.

Laudermilk's embalmer's license is currently suspended and is under review by the Texas Funeral Service Commissioner to be permanently revoked.