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Fetuses Found at Home of McKeesport Funeral Director |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Tuesday, 30 August 2005 |
By DAVID WHIPKEY August 29, 2005
Authorities from McKeesport and Allegheny County continue to investigate the grisly discovery of dozens of boxes containing the remains of human fetuses on the property of a former funeral home director.
Police were called to a detached garage on the property of the former owner of Newman-Winston Memorial Chapel in McKeesport Friday shortly after 9 p.m.
When officers arrived at the residence of Robert B. Winston Jr. along the 1800 block of Evans Street, they found boxes containing the remains of human fetuses.
County police homicide detectives and personnel from the county coroner's office removed the boxes and transported them to Pittsburgh for examination.
McKeesport Police Chief Joseph Pero said Winston's former wife called police after she decided to break open the locked garage door.
"She said she was told never to go in there by him," Pero said this morning. "She busted the padlock and saw boxes labeled with red plastic biohazard tape."
He said officers made the gruesome discovery when they entered the garage.
The chief said no charges have been filed.
"If they are filed, they'll come from the district attorney's office," Pero said. "It will take a while before identifications are made."
The coroner's office said an initial investigation indicates Magee-Womens Hospital delivered the remains to Winston for cremation between 1999-2002.
Winston was unavailable for comment, but his attorney, James Ecker, said his client is cooperating with authorities.
Ecker wouldn't comment on the case.
The coroner's office said the hospital also has been very cooperative during the investigation.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Manko said Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Wecht notified the hospital of the discovery.
"We are cooperating fully with the investigation, but we cannot comment on it right now," she said.
Wecht said investigators will determine if any remains were turned over to a crematorium during the three-year period, or if they all ended up in Winston's garage.
"We're going to move expeditiously, but we also want to see to it that we move in an efficient and thoughtful fashion," he said in a written statement.
Wecht said the fetuses were from miscarriages and abortions and had been turned over to the funeral home for cremation purposes.
He said Winston had a contract with the hospital to dispose of the fetuses and said he doesn't know why the remains never were cremated.
Pathologists are examining the fetuses and hospital records in an effort to identify the remains so that family members can be notified, Wecht added.
"The coroner's office is sensitive and mindful of the emotional concerns parents and family members may ultimately experience," he added. "Significant time to complete a thorough medical and legal analysis must be allowed so as to ensure that proper identification and notification can be made."
The funeral home, located along Jenny Lind Street, has been out of business since 2002.
Records indicate the State Board of Funeral Directors fined Winston $3,000 and suspended his license for three years beginning in 2004.
Winston allegedly aided in the unlicensed practice of funeral directing and failed to notify the state of pre-need funeral service contracts.
Source: The Daily News
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