Remains of 63 Fetuses and Infants Removed From Another Detroit Funeral Home
Written by SOURCE on October 20, 2018
A Detroit funeral home was shut down on Friday after authorities found the remains of 63 fetuses or infants inside. The grisly discovery comes about a week after 11 infant bodies were removed from a nearby defunct funeral home.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the remains were removed from the Perry Funeral Home located on the west side of the city. Police executed a search warrant Friday after receiving a tip about potential code violations. The tip came a family that is suing the establishment for the improper burial of their daughter. During the search, authorities discovered 37 dead fetuses or infants inside unrefrigerated boxes; the other 26 were located in a freezer.
“I’ve never seen anything (like this) in my 41 and a half years,” Detroit Police Chief James Craig said during a press conference. “It’s disturbing, but we will get to the bottom of this.”
The remains, some of which are believed to be several years old, were turned over to state investigators.
The Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs announced that they’ve since suspended the funeral home’s mortuary science license for multiple violations, which posed “an imminent threat to the public health and safety.”
“The funeral home failed to certify and file death certificates for the dead bodies of the fetuses and infants for whom they assumed custody with the appropriate governmental authority within 72 hours of death,” LARA’s statement read in part. “The funeral home failed to secure permits for removal or burial of dead human bodies before interment or disposal.”
Though authorities have yet to confirm whether charges have been filed, the Detroit Free Press reports that Perry Funeral Home’s code violations could result in felonies “punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 years or a fine of not more than $50,000 or both.”
