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Funeral home owner fears problems at Cantrell will leave 'black eye' on industry

Posted at 7:53 PM, Oct 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-19 08:38:08-04

A metro Detroit funeral home owner and director is speaking out against the recent findings at the shuttered Cantrell Funeral Home in Detroit, while being vocal about the correct process funeral homes must undergo when tending to the deceased. 

"Most of us go into the business because it's a ministry to us," said Stephen Kemp, Sr., owner and funeral director of Kemp Funeral Home in Southfield. 

And as Detroit police and state inspectors try to unravel the horrific mysteries and problems that took place at Cantrell Funeral Home on Mack Avenue in Detroit, Kemp, who was awarded the 2018 Pursuit of Excellence Award from the National Association of Funeral Directors, fears the case could leave a black eye on the industry.

Kemp tells 7 Action News that the problems at Cantrell should never have happened.

Local and state investigators are still trying to determine who at Cantrell was responsible for hiding the corpses of an infant and ten fetuses in an attic area, and how long it has been since their deaths were declared.

Click on the video to hear Kemp talk about the responsibilities funeral homes have when it comes to releasing remains for burial or cremains to loved ones. 

Kemp says, "The bigger issue is people, sometimes, don't come back."