DETROIT – The bodies of 11 babies were found in the ceiling of a former Detroit funeral home on Friday night after investigators received an anonymous tip.
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The Cantrell Funeral Home on Detroit's east side closed in April for deplorable conditions and was taken over by Naveed Syed to build a community center in its place. Now there's a setback after an alarming discovery -- the bodies of 11 infants were found in a hidden compartment in the ceiling of the building.
"They trusted the funeral home and now they find them like garbage bagged up in the attic," Syed said. "That's terrible"
Stephen Kemp is the owner of Kemp Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Southfield. He said there's specific protocol to follow.
"There's a statute of 60 days," Kemp said. "We're guilty of a criminal misdemeanor if we don't make disposition, and 180 days we're guilty of a felony."
Even if the family stops paying or isn't claiming the remains.
"Typically we call medical examiner, then we go to the court of jurisdiction to get the remains declared unclaimed," Kemp said.
Now many questions remain after the discovery. Who are the babies, how long have they been kept in the ceiling and why?
Investigators hope to find answers in the coming days.
The investigation is ongoing.