HURON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A contracted morgue worker went back to a Huron Township house the day after picking up the homeowner’s body and broke in because he knew nobody would be there, officials said.
“It is believed that (he) used his position of employment to victimize the families of the deceased,” Huron Township police Chief Everette Robbins said. “With intimate knowledge that a resident was deceased, as well as knowing if other family members lived at a particular residence.”
Death investigation
Huron Township police began investigating a death Feb. 14 at a home in the 22000 block of Castelle Drive. They determined the homeowner had died of natural causes.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office was called to the scene to help with the investigation and take the body to the morgue.
Carnell Lamont Franklin-Smith, 34, of Detroit, is one of the workers who helped remove the homeowner’s body, police said. Franklin-Smith worked for a company contracted by the Wayne County Morgue to remove bodies from homes and transport them to the morgue.
Break-in
Police returned to the same house at 9:32 a.m. Feb. 15 when a neighbor reported that someone was breaking in.
The caller told police that two men were forcing their way into the home. While officers were on the way, the caller said the men had left in a vehicle, taking items from the house.
Police found the vehicle in question at 9:39 a.m. Feb 15 and pulled it over. Franklin-Smith and Benjamin Ulysses Pearce, 29, of Detroit, were taken into custody.
Officers said Franklin-Smith told them he had a gun, and they found a handgun in a black holster on his hip.
Several items inside the car were in plain view and appeared to have been stolen, according to authorities. Photos taken the previous day during the investigation confirmed the items had come from the home on Castelle Drive.
“It is believed that Franklin-Smith returned to this residence, having knowledge that the resident was deceased, and broke into the residence,” Huron Township police wrote in a Thursday (March 2) release.
Charges
Franklin-Smith is charged with first-degree home invasion, a 20-year felony, and felony firearm, a two-year felony.
Pearce is charged with first-degree home invasion.
Both men were arraigned Feb. 17 at 34th District Court and released on $10,000 personal bonds.
“I believe there are many other victims out there,” Robbins said. “(Franklin-Smith) told investigators that he operated a business he called ‘No Evidence’ that allowed him to return to scenes he previously worked for cleanup. I believe that was used as an opportunity to commit crimes like this one.”
Anyone who knows of homes being targeted after a resident’s death is asked to call police.
“It’s so unfortunate that those trusted to respectfully transport a deceased person following their death would betray that trust,” Robbins said. “Our hearts go out to the family that has to deal with this in addition to losing their loved one.”
