Utah Funeral Director Lonnie Nyman Arrested for Soliciting Sex from Underage Boy

Nyman Funeral Home

Lonnie Nyman

Logan, Utah

A local funeral director was arrested Tuesday for exchanging nude photos with a Cache Valley youth and attempting to meet up with the boy for sex earlier this year — and a Logan attorney has been charged with obstruction of justice for not turning over evidence in her possession to investigators.

Lonnie Kent Nyman of Millville, 44, was charged in 1st District Court with sexual exploitation of a minor, dealing in material harmful to a minor, enticing a minor, tampering with a witness, and obstruction of justice.

He was booked into the Cache County Jail on Tuesday, and the Utah Attorney General’s Office has requested bail in the amount of $100,000.

“Lonnie Nyman poses a significant threat to the community, especially children,” the Utah Attorney General’s Office stated in court documents. “He enticed a child over the internet, received child pornography, and tried to convince his victim to lie to protect him while he destroyed evidence of the crime.”

Nyman, the owner of Nyman Funeral Home in Providence, was arrested six months after the Cache County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from Logan attorney Tess Davis, who told investigators that one of her clients sent her electronic files that may contain child pornography.

While Davis made the initial report, officials say she balked when the time came to present the information to detectives.

According to a probable cause statement attached to her case, Davis reportedly told the detective that “the evidence was ‘protected by attorney-client privilege’ and advised she would not be turning it over.”

Davis then demanded that the detective quit trying to contact her or her client, the document states.

The Cache County Sheriff’s Office wrote a search warrant for Davis’ office, and she reportedly continued to put up a fight. Investigators say she finally copied eight files from her computer to a thumb drive but claimed she did not have possession of an iPad suspected to contain evidence.

Then, just a short time later, she allegedly admitted that she did in fact have the iPad and its password, and that was turned over to police as well.

When detectives reviewed the iPad and photos, they reportedly discovered video footage of Nyman engaged in various sex acts with unknown males who appeared to be from the ages of 15 to 20.

In the probable cause statement attached to Nyman’s case, officials say he used a social media app commonly employed to solicit sexual encounters to message the alleged under-aged victim in March. He allegedly traded nude photos with the youth and shared a pornographic video with the boy as well.

Nyman is also accused of arranging a meeting with the boy and making plans for sexual activity, but the boy reportedly became uncomfortable and left before anything took place, the probable cause statement said.

A few weeks later, after the videos were discovered, Nyman reportedly reached out to the boy to let him know the police may be contacted, and he asked the boy to lie on his behalf.

According to the Cache County Attorney’s Office, this case was turned over to the Utah Attorney General’s Office when it became clear that Davis was not going to cooperate in the investigation.

Court records indicate that Nyman has retained defense attorney Wayne Caldwell to represent him in court, although a court date has not been set at this time.

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Indiana Funeral Director Thomas Oswalt Charged With Sexual Assault

Thomas Oswalt

Winchester, Indiana

A Randolph County funeral director is now facing charges after police say he sexually assaulted a woman who used his firm to plan funeral services for her late mother.

Thomas Oswalt, 42, operates the Oswalt Family Funeral Home in Winchester. Prosecutors have charged him with two counts of sexual battery.

According to authorities, Oswalt inappropriately touched the woman while she was at his business planning funeral arrangements for her deceased mother.

The woman claims Oswalt also sent her lewd text messages.

Houston's All Faiths Funeral Home: The Latest Cremation Scandal to Hit Texas

Houston, Texas

Samantha Askew and her family were excited over the arrival of a baby boy. He was to be named Aaron Jerome Baker.

"The baby shower was scheduled for the next weekend, we had everything for him," Sue Baker said.

But on June 14, Askew was rushed to Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital after her blood pressure spiked. During an emergency surgery, Aaron was delivered stillborn.

"I was really far along; I was eight months," Askew said. "He was ready to be here. To feel that and have that inside of you and it be gone."

The baby’s grandmother called All Faiths Funeral Home on Longpoint and later met with owner Fred Esser. The family paid Esser almost $1,100 to have the baby cremated and to have a funeral service.

"He definitely cashed that check as soon as it was written," Askew said.

But days turned into weeks and the family still didn't have an urn. After Askew decided to check with the crematorium herself, she got some pretty shocking news.

All Faiths Funeral Home lost its license with the state on April 30.

"I was like what do you mean he's not licensed," Askew said. "He's taken our money and was telling me he's doing all these things for me and she's like no mam his doors are supposed to be closed."

According to All Faith’s owner, Fred Esser, it was all ok since he was working with another funeral home named Sunset Funeral Home. However, Victoria Wade, owner of Sunset Funeral Home, denies Essers' claims that she was holding the service, not him. In a prepared statement, Wade said she was assisting Esser as a friend and is now outraged by his actions.

While Esser denies any wrongdoing, The Texas Funeral Commission is now investigating.

"You can't treat people the way you treated us," Askew said. "It's not right in any form especially after the loss of a child."

60 Minutes Investigates Cemetery Scandals

CNN's Anderson Cooper joined 60 Minutes recently, for a lead-off story and examination of the funeral industry. The focus: Cemeteries, including a number of scandals. One company is mentioned a number of times, Houston-based Service Corporation International. In case you missed Final Resting Place, it is included below.

New York Funeral Director Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Female Employment Applicants

Cazenovia, New York

Up until recently, funeral director Brian Tate was a well-respected member of a Madison County community. That status has changed, according to police, who have arrested and charged Tate with sexual abuse. New York State police took Brian Tait, 46, of Cazenovia, into custody for allegedly subjecting a former employee at Tait Funeral Home to inappropriate physical exams. And troopers say there are other potential victims.

Tait Funeral Home is located on Fenner Road in the Town of Cazenovia. Police say that Tait forcibly touched and sexually abused a woman at the funeral home.

"It involved an employee disrobing and some potential sexual contact as part of an employment interview to see how this employee reacted with certain chemicals involved in the embalming process," said Captain Mark Lincoln.

According to state troopers, the 24-year-old victim says the exam was conducted last month. And she and others may not have initially thought it was inappropriate because of unfamiliarity with the mortuary business and other factors. Troopers say Brian Tait was well-known and respected in Cazenovia and trusted by his employees and their families. And they say he betrayed that trust.

"When somebody in a position of trust suggests that this particular examination needed to be done for this type of employment, the people were not really in a position to second guess," Lincoln said.

After Tait’s arrest on Wednesday, investigators say other victims have come forward. And they say there may be others out there.

Ohio Funeral Director Sentenced to 8 Years for Child Pornography

Lorain County, Ohio

A Lorain County funeral director will spend more than eight years in prison for possession and distributing child pornography, federal law enforcement officials announced.

Matthew B. Humphrey, 38, of Vermilion , was sentenced to 98 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver.

Humphrey, formerly of Dombrowski-Humphrey-Riddle Funeral Home, Lorain, was indicted in March on one count of receiving and distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. He pleaded guilty in June.

According to an affidavit used by the FBI to obtain a search warrant for Humphrey’s Vermilion home and the funeral home in Lorain, an FBI agent in San Francisco first made contact with the person later determined to be the 38-year-old Humphrey in February 2010 using a peer-to-peer computer program.

The peer-to-peer program allows users to download files from each other’s computers.

The San Francisco agent noted 3,286 images in the shared files on Humphrey’s computer and downloaded 198 images and two videos that contained graphic content of infants, toddlers and other children engaged in sexual conduct.

The agent traced the computer back to the funeral home’s Internet connection, the affidavit said.

Later that month, another FBI agent from the agency’s Buffalo office, downloaded 68 images from the same user’s computer, all of which contained child pornography, the affidavit said. The computer was again found to be connected to the Internet from the funeral home.

The San Francisco agent made contact with Humphrey, who was using a different username, again in March and discussed gaining access to his shared files on an Internet chat.

Humphrey asked if the agent was “into kids?” and the agent replied “of course.” Humphrey then asked if he had “any pics to share?” according to a transcript of the chat that was included in the affidavit.

After Humphrey allowed the agent access to his files, the agent downloaded 48 images of child pornography. The files were traced to Humphrey’s house.

Mark Riddle, the funeral home’s owner, said no one there had any idea of what Humphrey was doing and as soon as they learned about the allegations, they asked him to resign.