Detroit police said that 36 fetuses were discovered in boxes, and 27 were found in the freezer at the Perry Funeral Home on Trumbull Avenue, which is now under investigation by police for alleged mishandling remains and fraud, and the property has been shuttered.

“I’m stunned,” Detroit police chief James Craig said at a news conference on Friday. “My team is stunned. God help those families.”

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs confirmed it had suspended the mortuary science license of Perry Funeral Home as well as that of its director Gary Deak after the discovery of what it called “heinous conditions and negligent conduct”.