Police found three bodies inside an unlicensed funeral home in West Philadelphia Monday afternoon, according to investigators.
State investigators received a tip reporting Hawkins Funeral Service on the 5300 block of Vine Street was operating illegally. Police responded to the building where they found three bodies. Officials told NBC10 the bodies were not properly refrigerated with one of them embalmed in a coffin and two of them decomposing. Investigators also discovered a bag of human organs inside the building.
While Blair Hawkins, the director of the funeral home is licensed, the building, which is the former location of the Gaither and Kimble Funeral homes, is not, according to investigators.
"You have a responsibility to care for the dead as you are supposed to," said Philadelphia Police Lieutenant John Walker. "You shouldn't cut corners in situations like this where you're using a building that you clearly know has been out of business for some time."
Hawkins told NBC10 the entire ordeal is a misunderstanding.
"The bodies, we have paperwork," Hawkins said. "They're gonna be cremated. They're authorized. We don't refrigerate bodies that are being cremated."
Investigators told NBC10 one of the bodies may not even belong to the funeral home. Hawkins insists however that the bodies are being properly taken care of.
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"I have proper paperwork and authorizations," he said.
Police continue to investigate.
