The Weekly Deathcare Briefing
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What You Get
Five pillars of intelligence delivered to your inbox every week.
Acquisition Alerts
New deals tracked weekly across funeral homes, cemeteries, and suppliers.
Regulatory Updates
FTC actions, state law changes, and compliance deadlines you need to know.
Market Data
Stock movements, valuation trends, and financial performance across the sector.
Original Investigations
Exclusive reporting that breaks stories before anyone else in deathcare.
Industry Analysis
Trend deep-dives on cremation rates, consumer behavior, and market shifts.
Past Issues
Recent briefings from the Obitley Deathcare Briefing archive.
Issue #10
A Simple Majority and a Ballot That Opens Before the Plan; Chicago Seeks $11,500 a Day; 14 Suits Pile Up on TruStage; Two States Write New Rules
September 15, 2026
Selected's CEO told Obitley the merger vote needs only a simple majority, and the electronic ballot opens September 24, days before the opposition's alternative plan is expected. Chicago sued the South Chicago Chapel operators for $11,500 a day over 23 code violations, 14 class actions now target TruStage over the cyberattack that left preneed policies unverifiable, and Colorado and Texas both put new deathcare rules on the books. This issue covers two weeks of Obitley investigations.
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Issue #9
Seven Minutes in Chicago; a $16 Million Lawsuit Over the Wrong Body; Death Claims on the Living; Greiner Points to a January 2027 Jury Trial
September 1, 2026
City records show Chicago closed a license inquiry into South Chicago Chapel in seven minutes without referring it to state funeral regulators, nearly a year before 56 decomposing bodies were found. A $16 million lawsuit accuses R.G. Ortiz of cremating the wrong man, Tennessee suspended a funeral home over death claims filed on the living, and Gary Greiner's criminal case now points to a January 2027 jury trial.
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Issue #8
56 Bodies, Again, From the Same Operators; 37 Charges in Terre Haute; Selected Members Organize Against the NFDA Deal
August 25, 2026
The day after Illinois suspended Johanna Morgan's license, authorities found 56 decomposing bodies at her Far South Side funeral home, run by the same operators who lost a crematory in 2025 over about 100 bodies. In Indiana, Gary Greiner faces 37 charges over $552,000 in prepaid funeral money, and the first organized opposition has emerged to the NFDA-Selected deal.
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Issue #7
16 Bodies Behind a Revoked License; $217 Million, Case by Case; Connecticut's Damages Hearing Nears
August 18, 2026
Louisiana revoked Gary Lewis's funeral license. An automatic stay let him keep operating. A sheriff's eviction found 16 bodies inside. SCI's full lawsuit record tops $217 million across at least five states, and Connecticut's civil case against Spartan Stone reaches a damages hearing this week.
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Issue #6
23 Companies, Nearly 500 Families, $1.5 Million: The Monument Fraud Crisis No Regulator Stopped; $217 Million in SCI Settlements; One Inspector for 837 Texas Funeral Homes
August 11, 2026
The Stefan family ran 23 gravestone companies across three states for more than a decade after the Pennsylvania Attorney General sued them. No state licenses monument dealers. No state requires escrow. Connecticut built a fraud compensation fund that excludes monument buyers. Meanwhile, SCI has paid $217 million in settlements while acquiring 1,485 funeral homes, and Texas has two inspectors for 1,674 facilities.
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Issue #5
Three Wrongful Cremations, Zero Federal Rules; Four Companies Control the Furnaces; $1.1 Million Stolen From 204 Families
August 4, 2026
Three families had loved ones cremated against explicit burial instructions. The FTC Funeral Rule has no cremation consent requirement. Four manufacturers control the cremation equipment market. A Michigan funeral director stole $1.1 million from 204 families for a decade.
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Issue #4
67 Charges in Hull; Park Lawn Goes Dark for $1.2 Billion; Body Stacking Is a Pattern
July 28, 2026
Robert Bush pleaded guilty to 67 charges after 35 bodies were found at his UK funeral home. Park Lawn is going private to escape public scrutiny. Four US body-stacking cases reveal a regulatory pattern, not isolated failures. The Obitley tip line and fraud tracker are now live.
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Issue #3
100 Bodies in Illinois Trailers; SCI Sells Fewer Funerals for More Money
July 14, 2026
Illinois found 100 bodies in inoperable crematory trailers and passed a law that does not require inspections. SCI performed 5,872 fewer funerals while raising prices. The FTC may force funeral homes to post prices online. Eight investigations this week.
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Issue #2
Colorado Mortuary Owners Arrested; S&S Consolidates Coach Manufacturing
June 30, 2026
The owners behind the Davis Mortuary bodies-in-hidden-room scandal face 125 criminal charges. S&S Coach acquires Federal Eagle, consolidating the funeral vehicle industry. Two consumer fraud cases hit the courts.
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Issue #1
Colorado Restores Inspection Access; Everstory Acquires Again
June 17, 2026
Colorado restores public access to funeral home inspections, Everstory Partners acquires another cemetery, and Oklahoma becomes the first state to veto a human composting bill.
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