The HBO docuseries The Mortician continues its grim examination of the Lamb Funeral Home this Sunday at 9:00 PM ET. “Episode Three” pulls back the curtain further on the family’s long history of fraud and exploitation, which culminated in a scandal that rocked Pasadena, California, in the early 1980s.
The episode focuses on the mounting legal troubles of David Lamb, who took over the family business and escalated its criminal activities. After years of deceiving grieving families and mishandling remains to boost profits, the consequences finally catch up. The story tracks David’s fraud convictions and a murder charge for the death of a competitor, a charge that was later dropped but sent shockwaves through the industry.
This installment demonstrates how the Lamb family’s actions, which affected over 20,000 families, became a catalyst for significant reforms in the mortuary business. The case led to new regulations designed to prevent such widespread abuse from happening again. Through archival footage and interviews, the series pieces together how a business built on community trust managed to perpetrate such a massive deception. It’s a chilling look at how vulnerable people were taken advantage of during their most difficult moments, and the slow, arduous process of holding the perpetrators accountable.
“The Mortician” airs Sunday at 9:00 PM ET on HBO.
