Rotting bodies 'found decomposing in illegal funeral home' as cops say remains and 'dozens' of ashes there for long time
ROTTING bodies were found "decomposing" inside of a garage at an unlicensed funeral home, police said.
An investigation on Friday found several bodies and cremated ashes at the Ehle-Barnett Funeral Home in upstate New York.
Police started poking at the situation when a family reported that they were unable to contact owner Brian M Barnett for weeks after using his business for cremation services.
It was revealed through help from the New York State Bureau of Funeral Directors that the funeral home’s license had been suspended in late November.
The home the business had operated out of had also never been licensed or properly set up to house the remains.
Barnett eventually reached out to police himself to tell them that he still had the remains that the family had been concerned about.
More investigation into the funeral home found that another body was allegedly turned over to the unlicensed business last year.
Several corpses were found in states of “advanced decomposition," according to police.
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The bodies were not being stored in a “temperature-controlled location and were not cared for in any matter," said police. They were also kept close to everyday household items.
Other badly decayed bodies were found in the garage where they are believed to have been stored for a long amount of time.
Multiple containers of ashes were also found. Some of them had tables with the names of the individual, “however there were several containers that did not have a visible identification tag and which were open,” said the Johnstown Police Department in a press release.
The Fulton County Coroner’s Office, with help from state police, will handle the process of identifying the bodies. Families will be contacted once an identity has been made.
“If families have had services with the Ehle-Barnett funeral home and have not received the remains of their loved ones, they can contact the Fulton County Coroner’s Office or the Johnstown Police Department,” read the press release.
“We ask that family members have the date, time and location of when their loved one passed away. The Johnstown Police Department would like to thank the A.G. Cole Funeral home for the respectful handling of the remains.”
Family members can also email the police department if they have any questions regarding the investigation.
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