KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The owner of a cremation service in Klamath Falls is in jail for allegedly taking money and failing to cremate the deceased.
When Karen Gray’s mother died in late December, she was advised to make arrangements with “Affordable Cremation.” Owner Max Bodzin charged Gray $1070.
“Weeks went by, I’d say probably 16 days,” recalled Gray. “And never received the remains of my Mom.”
Gray said Bodzin failed to return her calls and text messages. She said, “Then contacted the police department, and an investigation was opened up.”
Police found seven bodies in a cooler at the business.
“There were a number of individuals who paid him for services to take care of their deceased loved one,” Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello said. “And he did not do so.”
Maximillian Tobias Bodzin was arrested Saturday and charged with multiple counts of theft and seven counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse.
Costello said of the charges, “That addresses individuals who are in the cremation or funeral home industry, who don’t handle decedents consistent in a manner with the guidelines.”
Gray’s mother was taken to another cremation service.
“It’s just unimaginable to have something like this happen,” Gray said. “Because it’s already just a horrible situation and then it just became a nightmare.”
The case is scheduled to go before a grand jury later this week.
Bodzin was arrested at a Klamath Falls lottery lounge Saturday night. Police said he was in possession of methamphetamine at the time of his arrest. He now faces drug possession charges.
KOTI-TV NBC2 reporter Lyle Ahrens moved from Nebraska to Klamath Falls in the late 1970’s. He instantly fell in love with the mountains, the trees and the rivers, and never once regretted the move.Lyle’s job history is quite colorful.
He’s managed a pizza parlor; he’s been a bartender, and a “kiwifruit grader” at an organic orchard in New Zealand. A Klamath Falls radio station hired Lyle in the mid 90’s as a news writer and commercial producer. In 2004, Lyle joined the KOTI/KOBI news operation.Lyle notes with pride that he has a big responsibility presenting the Klamath Basin to a wide and varied audience.
“The on-going water crisis has underscored the fact that the people and the issues in the Klamath Basin are every bit as diverse as the terrain. Winning and keeping the trust of the viewers, as well as the newsmakers, is something I strive for with each story”.
When he’s not busy reporting the news, Lyle enjoys astronomy, playing guitar, fixing old radios and listening to anything by Sheryl Crow.
