As soon as they set foot in the McKeesport garage of a former funeral director, investigators knew they were dealing with death. The odor was awful. And the stacked boxes from which the smell was emanating were clearly labeled as fetal remains.
But it wasn't until the Allegheny County coroner's office opened the boxes that they learned some of the remains were not fetuses. They were actually babies -- 19 in all -- who had been born and had lived for a short time. Their tiny diapers and caps gave it away.
Yesterday, following a months-long process of poring over medical records and matching remains with cases at Magee-Womens Hospital, Allegheny County Police charged Robert B. Winston Jr. with theft by deception and 19 counts of abuse of a corpse.
Police alleged that Mr. Winston, the onetime owner of Newman-Winston Memorial Chapel, violated a contract with the Oakland hospital to pick up fetal remains and treat them in a "respectful and dignified manner" by having them cremated.
Instead, police said, Mr. Winston stacked boxes of remains in his garage from 1999 through early 2002. In doing so, Mr. Winston earned roughly $9,000 from Magee.
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But it wasn't until the Allegheny County coroner's office opened the boxes that they learned some of the remains were not fetuses. They were actually babies -- 19 in all -- who had been born and had lived for a short time. Their tiny diapers and caps gave it away.
Yesterday, following a months-long process of poring over medical records and matching remains with cases at Magee-Womens Hospital, Allegheny County Police charged Robert B. Winston Jr. with theft by deception and 19 counts of abuse of a corpse.
Police alleged that Mr. Winston, the onetime owner of Newman-Winston Memorial Chapel, violated a contract with the Oakland hospital to pick up fetal remains and treat them in a "respectful and dignified manner" by having them cremated.
Instead, police said, Mr. Winston stacked boxes of remains in his garage from 1999 through early 2002. In doing so, Mr. Winston earned roughly $9,000 from Magee.
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