Bodies of tiny babies found among rotting remains at abandoned funeral home

28 October 2023 , 07:39

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Caskets have been left behind (Image: mediadrumimages/@places_forgotten)

The discovery of 11 bodies of infants that were improperly stored at an abandoned funeral home left locals terrified - and now neighbours insist the site is haunted.

Eerie images show caskets filled with flowers remaining at the funeral home in Detroit, Michigan, long after it has been abandoned, while another image shows the box of cremated remains of someone who has unfortunately been left behind. Ben James, from Cambridge, England, captured pictures of the abandoned site that made headlines in the US after the decomposing bodies were discovered by police when they received an anonymous tip in 2018.

The remains were found in a box and a coffin that were hidden in a drop ceiling between the first and second floors of the Cantrell Funeral Home, Lt. Brian Bowser of the Detroit Police Department said. He added that officers discovered "11 remains of infants, stillborns".

Tools and information in the abandoned funeral home (mediadrumimages/@places_forgotten)

The funeral home had been shut down by the state department months before the terrifying discovery due to "deplorable, unsanitary conditions and other violations". It had found that embalmed bodies had been stored for months in a garage without refrigeration, and that some were badly decomposed. It also listed violations including "fraud, deceit, or dishonesty, incompetence, and gross negligence in the practice of mortuary science."

Jameca LaJoyce Boone, who was a manager at the funeral home for about a year until it shut down, claimed she did not know about the remains in the ceiling. She said: "This is horrific, and it’s unethical. I don’t understand how it happened or why it happened, and I’m just at a loss for words. That’s not how the funeral industry operates."

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The room where the bodies would have been taken to (mediadrumimages/@places_forgotten)

This is where autopsies would have taken place (mediadrumimages/@places_forgotten)

When he visited the building, Mr James said he felt a very creepy and uncomfortable presence, with caskets and even cremated remains left behind, some dating back to 2000. After speaking to a person living nearby, Ben discovered that many real estate agents refuse to even enter the premises due to many neighbours being convinced the building is now haunted by the spirits of the lost children whose bodies were stored there.

“Even though these images were taken after it was abandoned, there’s still everything in there like caskets and embalming fluids,” the 29-year-old said. “What was crazy was that we found boxes of human cremains from the year 2000 which was amazing, the fact that the authorities have missed them.

An abandoned car left on the premises (mediadrumimages/@places_forgotten)

The funeral home was involved in a scandal in 2018 (mediadrumimages/@places_forgotten)

‌“The whole place was weird, it had a very weird smell and had a very weird feeling. I don’t think the place will ever be sold because of its past and the fact it has a very weird atmosphere.

“We spoke to the neighbours and they said that the real estate agents won’t even go in there because they feel that it’s haunted.” "They're very small remains, OK," Detroit police Lt. Brian Bowser said at the October 2018 news conference. He said police were working with the medical examiner's office to identify the bodies and notify family members.

Caskets filled with flowers remain at the funeral home (mediadrumimages/@places_forgotten)

Cremated ashes left behind (mediadrumimages/@places_forgotten)

Jason Moon, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, described the remains in a statement as "decomposing bodies." The funeral home was closed because of alleged workplace violations and an ongoing state investigation. "We will use the evidence gathered today to add to our open investigation and will continue to work with local law enforcement as this case proceeds," Mr Moon added.

Chiara Fiorillo