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.
Sadly, this is not an isolated incident in the funeral industry. I worked in a funeral home in Arkansas where I witnessed a funeral director sexually harass a female co-worker. The woman filed a complaint with management, and I was her witness. (Incidently, the Regional Manager was also a witness, but he denies anything serious happened.) The funeral home corporation gave orders to fire both the woman and me. The funeral director still has his job and continues to proposition females workers.
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