TOLEDO (WTOL) - WTOL 11 told you first about the two area men at the center of a local and state investigation for questionable business practices.
As of February 19, the Ohio Attorney General’s office has taken over the investigation. Investigators are trying to determine what laws may have been broken, including abuse of a corpse.
The men are accused of acting as funeral directors without a license, taking advantage of families during their time of grief.
Prosecutors have been been collecting evidence and interviewing families who claim they were mislead by the two men.
Although, identified in affidavits and police reports obtained, WTOL 11 is choosing not to name the men because they have not been charged with a crime.
The probe into the two jumped into high gear back on December 6, when the Lucas County Coroner’s office, tipped off police to a body that was delivered to a small apartment behind a Church on Airport Highway.
There was concern that the body, was not being properly stored. The responding officer noted in his report, that he noticed a faint odor of decomposition as he walked past one of the windows. That prompted him to obtain a search warrant, to recover the body and return it to the coroner’s office.
Investigators believe the pair have performed funeral services for several families in the area, offering them a cheaper alternative, to reputable businesses.
They fear the two could still be in operation.
WTOL 11 has independently confirmed the two are legally not allowed to handle a corpse, because they are not licensed by the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors.
