Marcus Juarez and his wife had helped their daughter settle into her first apartment ahead of her freshman year of college. As a safety measure, they installed security cameras and door sensors, never imagining what they would witness just three days later.
"It was heartbreaking and kind of appalling," Juarez said. "It really just touched our hearts, broke our hearts for anyone to be treated like that."
The footage, which the family shared with ABC13, shows an individual dragging what appears to be a body bag down a stairwell. At one point, an arm slips out and touches the ground. Moments later, three Dallas police officers walk down the stairs behind the man, saying nothing and taking no apparent action.
"It just seemed very nonchalant," Juarez said. "First, the person with the body, and then the officers after. Wasn't there a better way to do this?"
In response to questions about the video, the Dallas Police Department confirmed that a man died in the apartment and that his death is being investigated as "unexplained." A department spokesperson noted that officers are not permitted to assist with moving a deceased person once the medical examiner or funeral home has taken custody.
The department declined to comment directly on the video, citing practices against addressing footage provided by the public.
Gene Allen, past president of the Texas Funeral Directors Association and owner of three funeral homes, reviewed the footage and called the removal process "repulsive" and "very disrespectful."
"If I were the family of the deceased, I would be infuriated," Allen said. "There never should have been one person making this removal by themselves. And I'll take it one step further. I was appalled that three uniformed police officers were standing there and allowed it to happen and didn't intervene."
The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office told ABC13 the man seen in the video is not one of their employees, but did not clarify whether he is a contractor. Allen said the man may work for a third-party mortuary transport company, an industry that is largely unregulated in Texas, or for a funeral home, but noted that such workers are typically more professionally dressed and trained.
Both Allen and Juarez are calling for an investigation.
"Let's not let this happen to someone else," Juarez said. "The next person might be our family."
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