F & M McLendon Funeral Home was built in 1974 in Wadesboro, North Carolina. It opened as a family owned funeral home to serve the people of Wadesboro and the surrounding Anson County, North Carolina. The Funeral Home first ran into some issues when they had numerous complaints filed against them in the early 2000’s. Most of these complaints were in reference to mishandled funds from the families of deceased people that were serviced by the funeral home.
The real serious problems began for the funeral home in 2010 when authorities came to the funeral home to serve a warrant and found 3 decomposing bodies inside. One of these bodies was found in a silver casket and was so far decomposed that the authorities could not immediately identify the individual. A further investigation was completed and it was found that the three bodies were supposed to have been cremated as the funeral home was paid by the families to cremate their loved ones. The bodies were removed and taken to a different funeral home. This was just the beginning of the downfall of F & M McLendon Funeral Home.
After the local news caught wind of what had happened at here, other people started to contact authorities and file complaints against the funeral home. This led to a further investigation and findings of misappropriated funds, embezzlement, and obtaining property under false pretenses.
In 2012, F & M McLendon funeral home was immediately closed down.
In 2014, the owner of the funeral home was charged and sentenced to 6 to 17 months in prison. Authorities went back to the funeral home with cadaver dogs for one final search of the building and surrounding 30-acre lot. They eventually were led to two more decomposing bodies inside the funeral home. This was the final “nail in the coffin” for this funeral home.
In 2021, F & M McLendon Funeral Home was finally demolished ending a years long heartache and constant reminder for locals of the tragedy that unfolded at the funeral home.
