- 154 cremated remains and six bodies have been found in a California warehouse.
- The warehouse belongs to Oceanview Cremations, a crematorium that had its license revoked in March 2018.
More than 150 cremated remains and six bodies have been found in a California warehouse, local news site KRON4 reports.
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office told KRON4 that the remains are associated with Oceanview Cremations, a crematorium that had its license revoked in March 2018, barring the business from storing remains.
On February 28, The California Cemetery and Funeral Board were informed that the business was continuing its operations, KRON4 reports.
Authorities then went to the warehouse on March 1 to uncover 154 cremated remains and six bodies.
"Family members indicated that after their calls to Oceanview Cremations' owner, Robert Smith, went unanswered, they believed their loved ones had been cremated or scattered at sea as requested," Modeste said in a statement to ABC News.
ABC reports that the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau is working to identify the remains and contact the next of kin of the deceased.
Four people have been notified that their loved ones' remains have been discovered in the warehouse, per ABC News.
One son contacted by authorities thought he had his father's cremated remains. "Since we have them, he obviously has someone else's ashes," Lt. Tya Modeste told ABC News.
Google reviews of Oceanview Cremations' contain a string of concerns and complaints.
One person wrote: "They have had my father's body since December 1, 2021, and it is June 20, 2022. they are not responding to phone calls, they are not responding to emails I have seen nothing, and I don't know where my dad is. Do not use this service under any circumstances if you care for your family members."
Another person wrote: "Under no circumstances put your family through the torture of working with this organization. Death is hard enough on us, but stringing families along and operating without a license is too far."
For people who entrusted final arrangements of a deceased to Oceanview Cremations between 2013 and 2022 and are uncertain of their disposition or the whereabouts of their cremated remains, the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau can be contacted at 510-382-3000.