Last week, people were horrified when Detroit investigators discovered the bodies of 11 infants hidden in a dropdown ceiling in a funeral home. Now, in a disturbing turn of events, even more infant bodies have been discovered in a separate funeral home in the same city. The Detroit Police Department removed the decomposing remains of 63 infants from Perry Funeral Home, many of which had allegedly been falsely reported as having been buried or cremated.
On Friday, police removed the bodies of 37 infants from boxes and the remains of 26 others from a freezer at the Perry Funeral Home.
The disturbing discovery was prompted in part by a lawsuit filed in July. According to the New York Times, a mother whose baby, Alayah Laniece Davis, died shortly after birth in 2014 asked that the baby's body be donated to scientific research at Wayne State University Medical School. But the remains were not donated as intended.
Instead, the baby's body reportedly remained in the custody of Perry Funeral Home and may have been stored at the Wayne State University School of Mortuary Science for years; however, the lawsuit indicates that the funeral home recorded on a certificate of death that the infant’s remains had been buried in a cemetery, even though they hadn't. And all of this reportedly took place without the mother's knowledge.
Some of the infant bodies found date back several years and most are unidentified.
Joshua I. Arnkoff, a lawyer representing the funeral home, told the New York Times his client has not committed any crime. He said the bodies were unclaimed by families and the "funeral home did not have the legal authority to conduct a final disposition."
But, in a press conference, Detroit Police Chief James Craig referred to a state statute on "improper disposal of human remains."
As reported by WBJK, under Michigan law, failure or refusal to properly dispose of a dead human body for more than 180 days after the date that the funeral director takes possession of the body can be a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
There is no connection between Perry Funeral Home and Cantrell Funeral Home, which was previously accused of hiding infant bodies.
But the two cases do point to a possible systemic issue. Craig said it's simply too early to talk about criminal charges in the case, but these findings, combined with the other 11 infant bodies found last week, have prompted official to consider forming a task force to investigate how human remains are stored and documented in the Detroit area.
Perry Funeral Home has been closed indefinitely, and the license for the business has been suspended.
