An investigation is underway in Cobb County after cremated remains were found this week inside a funeral home that was damaged by a fire in April.
Marietta police said they made the discovery Tuesday after being notified that Medford-Peden Funeral Home and Crematory on Canton Road was vacant and unsecured. A concerned caller from out of state had seen photos of the building on social media in a post titled: “Abandoned funeral home I went to yesterday. Caskets, chemical and human remains all left,” according to a police report obtained Thursday.
Several officers checked the vacant business, which looked as though firefighters had just left, and found the front door forced open, authorities said. While the building was empty, there was a room in the back that had been set up with a mattress. The report stated that officers could tell someone had been living there after finding clothing, a backpack, personal items and food that had been moved inside since the building caught on fire.
They later found a large amount of chemical and about 35 boxes of cremated human remains, according to the report. The boxes had death certificates and other identifying documents attached to them, though some of the remains were not labeled, police spokesman Chuck McPhilamy said.
“Responding offices observed what appeared to be cremated remains along with chemicals and documentation you would expect to find in a functioning funeral home,” McPhilamy added.
One of those online images appeared to show a fetus in some type of container, but police said that fetus or “small skeleton” was not among the items they found when they arrived. He said it was possible that investigators either hadn’t found it or that the photo may have been from somewhere else. A search warrant was obtained for any remains left behind as well as the “mystery container” that held the possible fetus.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Responding officers were originally concerned about the security of the building, and Marietta police have since reached out to a “large number” of local and state agencies to determine what to do next. McPhilamy said some of the issues found in the home could be criminal, while others would not but still need attention. He noted that many of the items investigators found had been in the photographs posted online.
At the time of the blaze, Fire Marshal’s Office spokesman Capt. Steve Dau said no human remains or cremated ashes were found inside the funeral home, which is located near I-75. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes but severely damaged the building.
“The Marietta Fire Department has no comment at this time as this is an active police investigation,” Dau said in a statement.
Credit: Shaddi Abusaid
Credit: Shaddi Abusaid
On Thursday, crime scene tape lined the parking lot as police investigators spoke among themselves. The funeral home had been boarded up since the fire, though restoration crews have been on site after the blaze.
Outside the building was also a van and SUV belonging to In Their Honor Transports, a company that transports the remains of U.S veterans and non-veterans. About six years ago, it signed a contract with the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office to transport the deceased. The company also works with funeral homes.
McPhilamy said his department has exchanged calls with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, which has not responded to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s request for comment. Others involved in the investigation include: Marietta code enforcement and business licensing, the county medical examiner, the district attorney’s office and police detectives.
Georgia Corporations Division records showed that the corporation Medford-Peden Funeral Home & Crematory Inc., with registered agent Perry Heard Jr., dissolved in September 2021. Heard was also listed as the registered agent for another company, CPLV LLC, whose principal office was located at a nearly identical Marietta address: 1408 Canton Highway. It was registered in January 2018 and remained active, with 2024 listed as its last annual registration year, the records added. The funeral home and registered agent physical addresses were both listed at 1408 Canton Road.
The funeral home’s 2024 taxes, which were due in October, have not been paid, according to online records.
“This a labyrinth of questions and we have very few answers right now,” McPhilamy said.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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