Morgue contractor who removed body from Michigan house accused of breaking in next day to steal valuables
Police believe a suspected thief used his job, which required removing bodies and taking them to the morgue, to victimize families of the deceased, including a Huron Township resident who recently died.
Two Detroit men have been arrested and face various charges after police said they broke into a resident’s house and stole valuables.
The crime occurred at approximately 9:32 a.m. Feb. 15, which is when the Huron Township Department of Public Safety received a 911 call reporting a breaking and entering/home invasion in progress in the 22000 block of Castelle Drive.
The 911 caller told a dispatcher two men were forcing their way into the residence.
Huron Township police officers were dispatched to the area. While en route, the caller gave a description of the suspect vehicle and the suspects who left the house with items from inside the residence.
A few minutes later, at 9:39 a.m., the vehicle was located by responding patrol units and a felony stop was conducted.
Police arrested 34-year-old Carnell Lamont Franklin-Smith, who while getting out of the car informed officers he had a firearm on him. Officers searched and found a loaded handgun in a black holster on his hip. They removed the gun and secured it.
Police said several items were found inside the vehicle, which were in plain view and appeared to be stolen. Several items found in the vehicle were recovered from the scene of the home invasion.
On Feb. 14, the day prior to the break-in, Huron Township police conducted a death investigation at the same residence where the home invasion occurred. The deceased person at the residence was determined to have died of natural causes.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office was contacted to go to the scene to assist in the investigation and for transportation of the body to the Wayne County Morgue.
Police said Franklin-Smith entered the house and assisted in removing the body, as part of his employment. He works as a subcontractor of Wayne State University, which operates and manages the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Public Safety Director Everette Robbins said that photographs taken by his department’s detectives at the death scene investigation on Feb. 14 confirmed that items found inside the suspect’s vehicle on Feb. 15 matched items pictured in the victim’s residence the prior day.
Police believe that Franklin-Smith returned to the residence, knowing the resident was deceased and broke into his house.
“It is believed that Franklin-Smith used his position of employment to victimize the families of the deceased,” Robbins said. “With intimate knowledge that a resident was deceased as well as knowing if other family members lived at a particular residence, I believe there are many other victims out there.”
According to Robbins, Franklin-Smith told investigators that he operated a business he called “No Evidence” that allowed him to return to scenes he previously worked for clean-up.
“I believe that was used as an opportunity to commit crimes like this one,” Robbins said. “We are asking anyone that may have had a family member’s residence broken into following their death to notify the police agency where they live.”
Robbins thanked detectives for their in-depth work during the death investigation, which led to having crucial evidence proving multiple items were stolen from the victim’s house. He also thanked officers who are part of the traffic services unit for quickly responding to the 911 call and locating the suspects before they were able to flee.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged Franklin-Smith, along with his alleged accomplice, Benjamin Ulysses Pearce, 29, with one count of first-degree home invasion, a 20-year felony, and one count of felony firearm, which carries a two-year sentence upon conviction.
They were arraigned Feb. 17 before 34th District Judge Brian Oakley.
Both men were released on a $10,000 personal bond. A probable cause conference is set for March 22.
“It’s so unfortunate that those trusted to respectfully transport a deceased person following their death would betray that trust,” Robbins said. “Our hearts go out to the family that has to deal with this, in addition to losing their loved one.”