Box Of Human Remains From Pennsylvania Dumped At Detroit-Area Church: Who Is Carolyn Hailey?
HIGHLAND PARK (WWJ) - It's a discovery that sends chills down your spine: A box of cremated human remains was found discarded in the muddy grass in front of a Detroit-area church.
The remains were discovered Monday at Holly Grove Missionary Baptist Church on Riopelle Street, just east of I-75 in Highland Park.
The box has the name Carolyn Hailey on it, and she appears to have died in 2010. The crematorium listed on the box is located in Pennsylvania but outside of that information, no one seems to know who Hailey is -- or why her ashes were abandoned in such a careless manner at an ostensibly random church.
Monet Robinson, a member of the church, posted a photo of the box on Facebook with the caption: "Um, who just sat their auntie or grandma outside of our church??? Does anyone know who Carolyn Hailey is????"
Robinson told WWJ's Scott Ryan that church members are now wondering what to do with the ashes.
"I feel kind of bad, you know, we all kind of feel bad because, like, nobody wants to toss it or anything like that. This is her remains," she said. "So, it's kind of unsettling because we just want her to be with people who probably loved her. I'm sure she had family somewhere."
Everyone is now left wondering: Who is Carolyn Hailey?
"We've asked around and nobody seems to know who this person is. All it says is the date on there, the date of when she was cremated, June 10, 2010," said Robinson. "It's very creepy for us, even though we're a church, it's kind of like, you know, it's especially creepy for my children. So, we really want to know who she belongs to."
Robinson hopes that by sharing the story, someone who recognizes the box of remains or who knows Hailey will come forward.
"I don't know if he [the pastor] called the crematorium but I was just trying to figure out if anybody had any idea," she said. "We just don't know who it belongs to, who dropped it off."
Anyone with information about Hailey is asked contact Holly Grove Baptist Church at 313-499-8226.
