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Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.
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Epitaphs: The Magazine for Cemetery Lovers By Cemetery Lovers
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Guardians of the Soul: Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints, Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture
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West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.
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Authorities say crematorium may have been mingled remains |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Friday, 25 February 2005 |
Authorities say crematorium may have been mingled remains
By Tim McCahill, Associated Press Writer February 25, 2005
SEABROOK, N.H. -- An unlicensed crematorium may have mingled the human remains it handled since 1999, a prosecutor warned.
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"We cannot assure the public that the remains they received from this institution were the remains of their loved ones," Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams said at a news conference Thursday.
The announcement came while authorities continued their investigation into the Bayview Crematorium.
Authorities heard about Bayview while interviewing funeral home employees in an investigation of a county medical examiner. While searching the crematorium for records on Wednesday police found the decomposing corpse of a woman in her 50s and the remains of more than one person inside an oven.
Police also found pacemakers, replacement hips and other objects in a Dumpster outside.
Those discoveries prompted Reams to lash out at the state Department of Health and Human Services, which is required to inspect and license crematoriums.
Reams said the department has authority to issue detailed rules, but, "as we stand here today, none of those rules have been issued."
Asked if the department should shoulder at least partial blame for the situation, he said, "I think clearly they have to."
Spokesman Greg Moore said the department had no record of plans for the crematorium or an application for inspection. He said the department needs to do a better job communicating with crematoriums -- and the communities in which they are located -- to ensure they comply with state law.
In a statement, the Cremation Society of New Hampshire called state regulations "less than adequate," but said responsible owners had rigorous policies and procedures to minimize human error.
"It is an unfortunate reality that some businesses in this industry do not operate properly or ethically," said the society, an affiliate of Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium.
Reams said officials were told the business owner was vacationing in Florida before they searched the crematorium Wednesday. Reams said he plans to file misdemeanor charges.
He said the medical examiner was assembling information needed to identify the woman. If officials were unable to identify her through other means a full autopsy would be conducted, Reams said.
He said a medical examiner estimated the woman had been dead for seven to 10 days when her body was found in a broken cooler. The temperature inside was 78 degrees, Reams said.
Reams said investigators believe Bayview had done more than 1,000 cremations during its years of operation.
Seabrook is on the Massachusetts border. Two years ago, some funeral directors told The Boston Globe that Bayview stood out because its low prices included pickup and delivery services from funeral homes, which most crematoriums do not provide. At least two directors said they had reservations because the service shielded the operation from scrutiny by the homes.
Bob Biggins, owner of the Magoun-Biggins Funeral Home in Rockland, Mass., said Thursday he was "shocked and appalled" by news about Bayview.
"A sacred trust has been violated," said Biggins, who said his funeral home did not use Bayview.
Besides the remains found inside the crematorium oven Wednesday, Reams said officials had "no ability" to determine whether other remains had been mingled at the crematorium.
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Taphophilia?
taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)
ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"
DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries
Quote Repository
“Fear not death, for the sooner we die the longer we shall be immortal.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Shirtless and Sculpted
The Men of Mortuaries 2008 Calendar is now available! All sale proceeds benefit KAMMCARES, a breast cancer foundation.
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