Former Vermont funeral home body transporter Amos Putnam has apologized for TikTok videos that have been deemed insensitive to the deceased and their families.
TikTok Videos Showed Body Transporter Roasting the Deceased
The videos are basically “a day in the life” or “bring viewers to work day” in approach with Putnam pretty much going about his job as a body transporter for the Phaneuf Funeral Home and Crematorium in Brattleboro, Vermont.
TikTok Gone Wrong: Former Body Transporter Apologizes for Distasteful Videos, Could Be Barred from Funeral Industry in New England
In the videos, he is shown speaking disrespectfully of the recently deceased. One video even features him going through a McDonald’s drive-thru and asking a deceased body if they wanted anything. One concerned viewer sent an email featuring links to the videos to both Phaneuf Funeral Home and Crematorium as well as to the local Brattleboro Reformer which read:
“In the videos you will see where Amos [Putnam] is using your company’s Dodge Caravan to transport what appears to be a body and making jokes that the individual had died of a heroin overdose while playing with the deceased toes,” the person wrote. “He also has a video that shows him transporting another body through a McDonald’s drive-thru line and asking if the deceased would like something to eat. In other videos you will see him videoing the deceased in what appears to be your body storage coolers. There are also some very distasteful comments left by Amos on the videos. I would hate to think this is how you want the deceased bodies of families to be cared for during their darkest times.”
Putnam Issues Apology
The Reformer would receive Amos Putnam’s apology saying “I apologize to anyone offended by the video.” He also says that it wasn’t meant to “be taken seriously or in a disrespectful way.”
Putnam (41) also admits that he shouldn’t have made the videos or posted them in the first place and now he regrets doing it. He went on to say that he staged the videos for an idea that he felt was funny—at least at the time.
Putnam goes on to say that there are no deceased featured in his TikTok videos. “I realize that it was in bad taste and has been seen as very disrespectful,” Putnam said in his apology.
Putnam Could Have License Pulled Because of TikTok Videos
The funeral home’s president, Buddy Phaneuf said that Putnam was with them “for a short period of time” and had been fired earlier in the year. Putnam was initially a part-time body transporter for the funeral home before working from July until September.
As for why he was dropped in that brief window of time, Phaneuf said it was because of his performance and had nothing to do with “ethical violations related to the treatment of bodies.”
He also said that he first saw the videos on Wednesday and was horrified by Putnam’s disrespect. Phaneuf has since contacted his lawyer to see if Putnam could be sued for defamation.
At the moment, Phaneuf said that his main focus is “making sure he is not able to work in any other funeral home in New Hampshire or Vermont.” In addition to contacting his own lawyer, Buddy Phaneuf has been talking with the Vermont Office of Professional Responsibility about pulling Putnam’s license.
For his license to be pulled, it would have to be decided that he actually violated his licensing conditions. Director for the Office, Lauren Hibbert said that the Secretary of State’s Office did receive a complaint about Putnam’s videos.
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