Cantrell Funeral Home

[Zacha341]

^^^ Ah-hah!

[dtowncitylover]

It's you because the article is about Flint.

I wasn't referring to the Flint case. That was posted after my comment.

[cla1945]

Admin, I find this post offensive. Please delete it.

^^^Agree 100%

[softailrider]

You cannot blame L.A.R.A. for this. One cannot reasonably expect that anybody would store bodies in a false ceiling. The culpability for this rests solely with the mentally defective person who placed the bodies in the ceiling in the first place.

Of course you’re right, LARA did a bang up great job on this. Missing 11 corpes while they’re shutting down a funeral home was just a minor blip in an otherwise stellar investigation.

[archfan]

Does anyone else need a scorecard? Here's what I think I know:

1. O'Neil D. Swanson [[Sr.) runs two or more funeral homes in Detroit, with a very good reputation.
2. Swanson's son, O'Neil D. Swanson II, ran the Swanson funeral home in Flint. It was shut down in April because of, let's just say, inappropriate storage of bodies.
3. Cantrell funeral home in Detroit was shut down in April for the same reason. Cantrell was founded by Raymond Cantrell [[Sr.), who died in 2016. Since then, it was run by Raymond Cantrell II.
4. The QA Cantrell funeral home in Eastpointe is run by the daughter of Raymond Sr., Annette Cantrell. The QA Cantrell website has been up since September 2015, and there is no indication that Raymond II is affiliated.

Did I get anything wrong?

[SyGolden48236]

Of course you’re right, LARA did a bang up great job on this. Missing 11 corpes while they’re shutting down a funeral home was just a minor blip in an otherwise stellar investigation.

So you're saying that the L.A.R.A. staffers should have expected that there would be bodies stored in a false ceiling? Who in their right mind would expect such a thing? It is not normal practice in the funeral industry that bodies are stored in a false ceiling. Who would have known other than the mentally ill person that placed the bodies in the ceiling in the first place?

[cla1945]

From reading different articles, I wonder why people are calling an attic a false ceiling. Weren't the 11babies hidden in the attic of the funeral home? Again, I ask...where is the outrage in the community? I don't see any signs, pritests or otherwise against Cantrell. Why is that?

[mkhopper]

I'm just confused about why any funeral home director would do anything like this. An article in the Freep yesterday mentioned a number of funeral homes recently closed or slapped with fines due to mishandling of bodies. But what I don't get is why.
What does a funeral home gain from keeping bodies from being displayed and then moved on to either a cemetery or crematory? Do the families not question what's going on? Does no one question what has to be absolutely disgusting odors in the place?

[hybridy]

From reading different articles, I wonder why people are calling an attic a false ceiling. Weren't the 11babies hidden in the attic of the funeral home? Again, I ask...where is the outrage in the community? I don't see any signs, pritests or otherwise against Cantrell. Why is that?

sloppy writing. there is an existing pulldown attic stair in the funeral home. at some later date, a lower acoustical ceiling was added thus concealing the now 'hidden' pulldown stair + cord.

perhaps the culprits feared the new owner renovating was going to remove the added ceiling and the secret would have been discovered likely leading to huge outrage/criminal charges.

the anonymous tip gets around this and lack of outrage doesn't lead to anything.

pretty FUBAR to me

[Meddle]

Only thing I can figure that makes any sense at all is that they were indigent or orphans and the state or county was paying. Or maybe accident victims where the parents went also. Maybe closed casket cases. It would have to be a situation where no one viewed them before any kind of service.

[ASilvaman]

Is it just me or does Detroit have a weird problem with funeral homes not properly taking care of bodies? I feel like we hear about this repeatedly through the years. This is probably the worst I've heard about though.

This seems.to be a Detroit problem but it has been happening more and more in many cities across the country. A few stories much much worse come to mind that happened quite a few times in the Chicago area. I can recall a story of bodies piled up behind a garage for years.
I have to admit LARA dropped the ball here. Ths hurts much worse when these incidents involve children.

[313WX]

I'm just confused about why any funeral home director would do anything like this. An article in the Freep yesterday mentioned a number of funeral homes recently closed or slapped with fines due to mishandling of bodies. But what I don't get is why.
What does a funeral home gain from keeping bodies from being displayed and then moved on to either a cemetery or crematory? Do the families not question what's going on? Does no one question what has to be absolutely disgusting odors in the place?

With Detroit, you're dealing with a customer base that is very economocally depressed. No one has the heart to tell a grieving family that they can't help them if they can't afford the funeral costs, yet at the same time, funeral homes exist to make a profit like all businesses and they wouldn't be able to survive if they were given free services to everyone.

[softailrider]

So you're saying that the L.A.R.A. staffers should have expected that there would be bodies stored in a false ceiling? Who in their right mind would expect such a thing? It is not normal practice in the funeral industry that bodies are stored in a false ceiling. Who would have known other than the mentally ill person that placed the bodies in the ceiling in the first place?

Yes, that’s what I’m saying, I’m not sure why you don’t understand. LARA wasn’t just shutting down a funeral home - it should have been evident to them at the onset that they were shutting down a house of horrors. Any further remains or dead bodies at that location should have been discovered by LARA. After they found the initial bodies in the garages they should have known the owners or employees at that location were extremely disturbed. LARA, being a government or quasi - government agency certainly had the resources available to them to do a proper search.

[pocketchange]

I assume these babies were brought to the funeral home but without the needed funds for a burial or cremation and probably didn't want a funeral. If so, I don't understand why you just wouldn't add them to an existing customers casket and bury them together. Disgusting and wrong, but seems more right than the solution chosen.

[EastsideAl]

From reading different articles, I wonder why people are calling an attic a false ceiling. Weren't the 11babies hidden in the attic of the funeral home? Again, I ask...where is the outrage in the community? I don't see any signs, pritests or otherwise against Cantrell. Why is that?

I think there is plenty of outrage [[not to mention disgust). The story has been at the top of the local news for several days now. But I'm not sure what you feel people should do about it. March on a closed funeral home that is now owned by someone else?

[Towne Cluber]

With Detroit, you're dealing with a customer base that is very economocally depressed. No one has the heart to tell a grieving family that they can't help them if they can't afford the funeral costs, yet at the same time, funeral homes exist to make a profit like all businesses and they wouldn't be able to survive if they were given free services to everyone.

Well, it isn’t out of compassion...

https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...it/1661606002/

[Honky Tonk]

Well, it isn’t out of compassion...

https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...it/1661606002/

Unbelievable and disgusting.

[EastsideAl]

I notice in that Free Press story that what were previously described as the bodies of infants are now referred to as fetuses. WTF?!? Where did the fetuses come from and what the hell were they doing in a funeral home attic? Remains of late term miscarriages is the only conceivable thing I can think of. Disgusting and disturbing indeed.

[EastsideAl]

One other huge thing that comes out in this story, which may in many ways be even worse than the unburied/uncremated remains, is the revelation that Mr. Cantrell was "handling" funeral customers' estates. And apparently helping himself to much of the proceeds.

It seems that he was using the trust placed in him as a professional to systematically take advantage of his family's customer base, who were unfamiliar with the law and the workings of the probate system. It looks like he was caught red-handed perpetrating these thefts as far back as 2002. So why were criminal charges apparently not brought, and why the state allow him to keep his license and continue almost unsupervised in the funeral home business to take advantage of more unsuspecting people?

[Jimaz]

... the unburied/uncremated remains....

WWJ Radio: Newly discovered cremated remains have been found in the same space.

This story is still developing.

[hybridy]

WWJ Radio: Newly discovered cremated remains have been found in the same space.

This story is still developing.

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...ome-in-detroit

RIP and much respect to the desecrated remains and the pain their families are enduring. How much more do the downtrodden and forgotten have to endure?

An absolute embarrassment to the city, county, state and mortuary operators metro wide. Why aren’t other funeral homes stepping in and offering their services? Who is going to inter these helpless infants who never got a fair shot at a fulfilling life?

If taxpayers can be ok the hook for new stadia + luxury apartment subsidies, surely the city owes some respect to its citizens. Mayor Duggan & Wayne County please offer an olive branch and devote full resources to justice.

Start by suspending licenses at any/all affiliates of previous owner. Call in the police and feds if that’s why it takes. Where is the Wayne County Prosecutor? Wake up elected officials. You are the “lawyer for the people”. Show some respect FFS

[Maof]

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...ome-in-detroit

RIP and much respect to the desecrated remains and the pain their families are enduring. How much more do the downtrodden and forgotten have to endure?

An absolute embarrassment to the city, county, state and mortuary operators metro wide. Why aren’t other funeral homes stepping in and offering their services? Who is going to inter these helpless infants who never got a fair shot at a fulfilling life?

If taxpayers can be ok the hook for new stadia + luxury apartment subsidies, surely the city owes some respect to its citizens. Mayor Duggan & Wayne County please offer an olive branch and devote full resources to justice.

Start by suspending licenses at any/all affiliates of previous owner. Call in the police and feds if that’s why it takes. Where is the Wayne County Prosecutor? Wake up elected officials. You are the “lawyer for the people”. Show some respect FFS

There's an article in today's Free Press but I can't figure out to copy it here. Verheyden Funeral Home is and has been taking care of the remains found at Cantrell's. Mount Olivet has donated space and services as well.

[Honky Tonk]

https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...it/1657567002/

***************

[Maof]

https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...it/1657567002/

***************

....Thanks

[poobert]

What I can't figure out is the culture of corruption. It is like nearly everything in Detroit is rotten to the core, operating with all the integrity and professionalism as a banana republic.

Monica Conyers, Kwame, Maroun, Leland, Rizzo, the shitty negelegent parents who lived on my street, the shitty people kitty corner from me with trash in their yard screaming all night long, the shitty drug dealers and their shitty PASTOR father who lived down the streety from me - everyone is shit. Everyone is morally bankrupt shit. Why is that?