New charges have surfaced against a Houston funeral home operator who has come under scrutiny for operating multiple businesses without proper licenses.
Weeks after ABC13 first reported on Unique Green’s practices, investigators have now filed a new search warrant outlining further concerns, including possible fraud and tampering with bodies.
The latest search warrant identified a second funeral home, Wingate in White Heather, and centered on the estate of Lawrence Edward Gammon, adding to ongoing questions surrounding the operations of Green’s funeral business.
RELATED: Funeral home raided by police had contract with county in 2019
According to a 16-page document obtained by ABC13, authorities are investigating whether Greene lied about himself after handling Kimmon’s cremation in order to steal his estate.
In June, Garmon’s out-of-state relative called Houston police after not hearing from him for a month, the warrant said. Police attended his Tottenham Avenue home and found his badly decomposed body in the bedroom. The home was so chaotic that firefighters had to break windows to get him out, records show. His manner of death was ruled natural based on autopsy results.
Later that month, the man’s relatives contacted Wingate and spoke with Green, they told police. They paid her thousands of dollars and shared Kimmon’s financial information with her, a search warrant showed. Based on this information, police believe she forged a will and stole nearly $2 million worth of cars, property and cash from Gammon’s estate.
ABC13 uncovered a will and testament filed in Harris County in August, months after Gammon’s death, which “leaves my entire estate to my longtime partner and common-law spouse, Unique M. Green, in recognition of her unwavering love, devotion and support.” The will lists checking and investment accounts, three vehicles, and other personal property as part of the estate.
Investigators discovered factual errors and determined the will was a forgery, the warrant states. Additionally, Gammon’s family had never heard of Greene.
The search warrant also linked Green to Wingate Funeral Home via recorded phone calls. One investigator wrote:
“I recorded a conversation with the person who answered the phone and recognized the distinctive voice as that of a distinctive mica combat green. The suspect answered the phone and said ‘Wingate Funeral Home.'”
The new charges come just weeks after law enforcement raided Wheeler Community Funeral Home in Houston’s Third Ward. Authorities said Green had been operating the business without a license for years and was the subject of 13 previous investigative reports.
SEE ALSO: ‘Shocking’: County cuts ties with funeral home raided by HPD in 2020
Green already faces criminal charges related to the Third District property, where she is accused of forging a lien. She has not been charged in connection with the Golden Gate or Wingate cases, which are now closed.
Greene also appeared publicly in Harris County Commissioners Court to urge officials to award her an indigent burial contract despite licensing issues.
On Tuesday, ABC13 called a number associated with Greene. A woman who identified herself as Greene’s sister answered the phone but hung up once questions about the investigation began. Later, in another call, Greene was said to be in Dallas, but then texted that she would meet with ABC13 at Wheeler’s funeral home. Green never appeared.
Authorities said their investigation is ongoing and they are examining both funeral homes and Green’s ties to both.
