Fetus Remains Found Stored in Boxes

“I have never seen anything like this in my 41 ½ years on the force, ever,” one police officer said.

Sixty-three fetus and infant remains were discovered improperly stored in boxes and freezers at Perry Funeral Home in Detroit, Michigan, just one week after eleven others were found at another Detroit funeral home in a drop-down ceiling.

Thirty-seven of the sixty-three remains were found in unrefrigerated boxes, while the other twenty-seven were found in a freezer. Some of these remains have been deceased for up to three years.

Perry Funeral Home’s mortuary science license has since been revoked. Generally, funeral directors have to supervise a body’s final disposition within 60 days of receiving it.  If this is not enforced, it is considered a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in prison. If nothing is done after 180 days, it is then considered a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Charges have yet to be filed against the funeral home.

Perry’s lawyer,  Joshua I. Arnkoff,  said the allegations involve “unclaimed infant remains” from local hospitals. He doesn’t believe any involved families paid for funeral services.

“Perry Funeral Home has been serving the Detroit community for decades and has been a reputable, reliable, and caring member of the community. The allegations being made through the press are inaccurate,” Arnkoff stated.

These discoveries come just one week after eleven fetuses and infants were found in a drop-down ceiling in another Detroit funeral home. Cantrell Funeral Home was raided on 12 October, six months after they were shut down for multiple violations,  including improper storage of embalmed bodies, two of which were in advanced stages of decomposition.

“I am committed to get to the truth…  This is deeply disturbing,” Police Chief James Craig said. “This may be larger than we know.”