DETROIT _ More than 100 of the nearly 300 cremated remains abandoned at Cantrell Funeral Home are expected to be returned to their families within the next few days, a dramatic change from just a few weeks ago.
"The calls are still coming in," said Brian Joseph, the owner of Verheyden Funeral Home, who has taken responsibility for returning the remains. "If they have no means of getting to us, we will bring the remains to them."
A few of the remains already have been hand-delivered to relatives, and one, Joseph said, is being shipped to loved ones as far away as Houston, Texas.
On Thursday, Verheyden retrieved remains from a storage facility in Flint, Mich., where they have been stored since being found in a basement of the now-closed Cantrell Funeral Home on Detroit's east side.
The cremated remains are part of a grisly scandal that, so far, has shut down two Detroit funeral homes, uncovered about 80 fetal, infant and adult remains, and led to multimillion-dollar lawsuits.
Since a list of the names of the cremated remains was first published by the Detroit Free Press, Verheyden has been flooded with calls.
Earlier this month, state regulators said only four families had retrieved remains. Of all the remains _ more than 50 _ have no records and cannot be identified.
An emotional Joseph said Friday that he delivered the remains of Elvis Lewis, who had died earlier this year, to his older brother, Earl Lewis, 77, at his Detroit home.
Joseph said he was at a loss for words.
"I didn't know what to say," he said, adding that he prayed for guidance. "When he answered the door, I said, 'It's a privilege and my honor to bring your brother back to you.'"
He handed Lewis, who was riding a blue mobility scooter, the remains.
"I asked him: 'Is that your brother's name?'" Joseph said. "He said, 'Yes,' and then he said, 'Thank you.' What a special moment it was to reunite brothers. What a blessing it is to be able to help."
