Bodies of 11 infants found in ceiling of closed funeral home
The bodies of 11 babies were discovered Friday in a Detroit funeral home that was shut down six months ago. Police made the gruesome discovery at the Cantrell Funeral Home after they received an anonymous tip.
Police said eight or nine bodies were found in a cardboard box and the others in one or more caskets, all hidden in a ceiling. Police ordered a search of the building to ensure there are no additional bodies inside.
"They received an anonymous letter describing exactly where the box was, where the remains were," Detroit police Lt. Brian Bowser told reporters Friday. "They went right to the location. You have to climb up a ladder to look, that's when they observed the box and the casket and they called 911."
Bowser said authorities have identified some of the remains and were attempting to contact the families, the Detroit Free Press reports. He said he was upset "by the callousness" of whoever stored the infants' remains in the ceiling.
In April, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs suspended the funeral home's license after inspectors found decomposing embalmed bodies and other violations. Other violations included two improperly stored bodies covered in what appeared to be mold and a third body with unknown fluids covering the facial area.