The bodies of a baby boy and two decomposing adults were discovered last week inside an auctioned self-storage unit at United Storage in Johnston, R.I. The unit had been rented by Alfred Pennine, a funeral director who died last month in New Hampshire, according to police. Pennine’s business, Pennine Funeral Home in Providence, R.I., was shut down last month after state health officials found the remains of six improperly stored bodies on the premises.
At the self-storage facility on Putnam Pike, the body of a man was stored in a metal coffin, and the remains of a woman were found in a cremation transport container, according to the source. The infant, whose body was in a small, padded chest, wasn’t discovered until the auction buyer brought back contents he had removed from the unit at the request of police.
Investigators believe the bodies had been kept in the storage unit for about six months. Other items included some of Pennine’s personal belongings. Police are investigating to see if the former funeral director had rented units at other self-storage facilities.
In 2007, the state suspended Pennine’s funeral-services and embalming license for two years, according to the source.
