The cremated remains of nine people were found by law enforcement officers who searched the Orlando office of disgraced former guardian Rebecca Fierle, the state's Office of Attorney General confirmed Wednesday.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Orange County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant Monday at a small converted house northeast of downtown Orlando that serves as an office for Fierle's business, Geriatric Management.
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Ashley Moody confirmed the search uncovered nine sets of cremated remains at the office.
"As this investigation continues, we will be focusing on whose cremains are in the urns, medical records that identify the cause of death, how long the cremains have been in the target's office and much more," said the spokeswoman, Kylie Mason, in a statement. "As this is a very active criminal investigation, we cannot comment further at this time."
FDLE launched a criminal investigation into the professional guardian last month, after a state investigation found one of her clients, 75-year-old Steven Stryker, died at a Tampa hospital in May following Fierle's refusal to remove a "do not resuscitate" order she filed against his wishes.
Investigators with the Okaloosa County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller found hospital staff could not perform life-saving procedures on Stryker because of the DNR. It has since come to light that Fierle routinely filed DNRs on the behalf of clients without court approval.
After the allegations came to light, Fierle resigned from all cases statewide in which she was the court-appointed decision maker for incapacitated people, known as wards. She is not currently facing criminal charges.
