Austin Mortuary Worker Arrested for Alleged Corpse Experimentation

A North Austin mortuary employee is facing felony charges for allegedly conducting disturbing experiments on corpses and fraudulently obtaining death certificates. Adeline Ngan-Binh Bui, 50, has been charged with one count of state-jail felony abuse of a corpse and five counts of second-degree felony tampering with governmental records with intent to defraud or harm.

According to court documents, the troubling incidents date back to at least August 2022. A former embalmer at Capital Mortuary Services has come forward, claiming that Bui had “fraudulently initiated and obtained” at least ten death certificates using his name and license number without his consent. This revelation has raised serious concerns about the practices at the mortuary.

The former embalmer also alleged that Bui was involved in experimenting on “separated anatomical structures,” specifically mentioning the arms of an unidentified deceased individual. The bizarre “experiment” reportedly involved injecting formaldehyde into the severed arms and observing the effects over time, as detailed in the court documents.

In response to these alarming claims, a cease-and-desist letter was issued to the mortuary on April 10, stating that the funeral home had “failed to meet building, health, and safety codes” and would need to “immediately cease and desist all operations.” This letter highlights the serious nature of the allegations and the potential risks to public health and safety.

The Austin Police Department has received eight death certificates that were allegedly signed by the former embalmer using an electronic signature, according to court paperwork. The former embalmer clarified that he was not employed as a funeral director at Capital Mortuary Services; rather, he worked as a crematory operator, driver, and embalmer. He emphasized that he never accessed the Texas Electronic Vital Events Registrar (TxEVER) to obtain those eight death certificates.

In a troubling twist, Bui allegedly communicated with a former employee regarding a fraudulent certificate in December 2023, sharing screenshots that included a message stating, “let’s us[e] this update to monitor our experiment.” This message was accompanied by photos of what police described as severed and detached arms in various stages of decomposition.

Investigators from the Texas State Funeral Commission (TSFC) communicated with the Austin Police Department, revealing that Bui “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.” This shocking detail raises further questions about the ethical practices at the mortuary and the treatment of the deceased.

In response to the allegations, Bui’s legal team issued a statement emphasizing that “our criminal justice system is based on the presumption of innocence and a careful, critical evaluation of the evidence, facts, and their sources.” They added that the case involves complexities that are not immediately apparent and should not be sensationalized. The legal team remains committed to defending Bui, advocating for fairness and due process.