Police raid cemeteries, remove infant and fetal remains

Police raided two Detroit cemeteries Wednesday, removing dozens of infant and fetal remains that allegedly were improperly handled by Perry Funeral Home.

Detroit Police and Michigan State Police officers raided Gethsemane Cemetery in Detroit and Knollwood Cemetery in Canton Township. Inspectors with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation also were present.

"This was prompted by a tip, which said between 100 + fetuses had been mishandled and were stored in crypts," Detroit police Chief James Craig said. "The remains we removed were all handled by Perry. This is part of the funeral home criminal investigation."

Craig said officers studied sets of remains from Gethsemane, and from Knollwood, adding there was improper or missing paperwork filed for 27 sets of infant and fetal remains from Knollwood, and 17 from Gethsemane.

"The remains that were removed were found to be in violation, based on documentation that had discrepancies," Craig said. Those remains were taken to a facility in Flint. Craig said he couldn't elaborate because the investigation is ongoing.

Some of the remains in the crypts had been cremated, Craig said during a press briefing Thursday at police headquarters. Craig said LARA told his investigators about the tip, which alleged that more than 100 fetuses were improperly stored at Gethsemane, where he said police executed a search warrant. He characterized the Knollwood action as "an inspection," adding officers did not execute a search warrant there.

Craig said the managers of both cemeteries were cooperative. "At this point, there's no allegation that the cemeteries did anything wrong, but we're still active in our investigation," he said.

LARA spokesman Jason Moon said Thursday in a written statement: "Based on information gathered during the course of LARA’s investigation into Perry Funeral Home in Detroit, state regulators conducted an onsite inspection of Knollwood Cemetery in Canton last night. We are currently exploring possible regulatory actions against the facility and have an open investigation.

"Also as part of the Perry investigation, LARA notified Detroit Police regarding possible issues at Gethsemane Cemetery in Detroit," Moon said. "Gethsemane is a municipal cemetery owned by the City of Detroit and LARA has no regulatory oversight of the establishment. LARA regulators did assist Detroit Police yesterday in their inspection of the cemetery." Wednesday's raids were part of a months-long probe into the alleged mishandling of remains by Perry and Cantrell funeral homes, both of Detroit. A lawsuit that prompted police to look into Perry was certified last month as a class action, after plaintiffs' attorneys claimed as many as 200 infant or fetal remains were improperly handled.

The lawsuit also alleges mishandling of remains by Knollwood, Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center's Harper-Hutzel Hospital, among others. Spokespersons for the defendants insist they've done nothing wrong. Detroit police and LARA on Oct. 19 raided Perry's facility on Trumbull in Detroit, and removed 63 infant and fetal remains, including 36 that were stored in an unrefrigerated box. LARA also suspended Perry's mortuary license and the license of director Gary Deak. Cantrell Funeral Home on Mack Avenue in Detroit is also under investigation after investigators found the remains of 10 fetuses and an infant hidden in a ceiling tile. The discovery was prompted by a letter alleging improper handling of remains and fraud.

Investigators removed hundreds of other remains from Cantrell. Funeral services were held for the mostly unclaimed remains, including an All Saint's Day service for 300 remains; and military honors given to 17 veterans whose remains were removed from Cantrell.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2018/12/06/police-raid-detroit-area-cemeteries-remove-infant-and-fetal-remains/2224385002/?fbclid=IwAR0BYJhdluvpo607rfyQBZZ1efsgHX02LmqbJuLFWdPo0L96fT_Ipw1VXVg

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2018-11-06/letter-alerted-michigan-officials-to-hidden-infant-corpses