Michigan orders unlicensed Ypsilanti Township crematory to close; claims bodies improperly stored

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The state of Michigan has ordered an unregistered Ypsilanti crematory to cease all operations after it found the company was operating with a license. According to the state, the cremation services company was improperly storing bodies and found bodily fluids on the floor.

Michigan's Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and state Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a cease and desist order against Tri-County Cremation Services on Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti, which mandates the company close its doors.

According to LARA, the crematory was violating the Cemetery Regulation Act by operating a crematory without a registration. But there are disturbing allegations about what the crematory was doing.

LARA said in a press release that an anonymous complaint was filed, alleging heavy smoke coming from the crematory chimney. The complaint also said that deceased individuals were not being properly stored before their cremations and that bodily fluids were leaking on the floor.

As LARA investigated the claims, they found that Tri-County Cremation had been bought by O’Neil Swanson II and Dianne E. Swanson in March of 2020. LARA said that the Swanson family never received a certificate of approval from the cemetery commissioner.

Additionally, LARA confirmed the complaints regarding improperly storing remains and bodily fluids on the floor.

If the Swanson name seems familiar, that's because this isn't the first time the funeral home or the Swanson family has been cited. In 2018, O'Neill Swanson II was fined more than $34,000 after a funeral home in Flint was found with decomposing bodies and maggots were on the floor of a garage where unrefrigerated bodies were being stored.

Swanson ultimately lost his license and the mortuary science establishment license previously held by Swanson’s Funeral Home, Inc. in Flint was revoked.

As a result of the 2018 findings, Swanson is not eligible to hold a controlling interest in a cemetery or crematory.

The Attorney General and LARA are working to identify remains at Tri-County Cremation Services and will notify loved ones if a new facility needs to be found.

Anyone who thinks they may have a loved one who recently received services there should contact LARA at (517) 241-7000 or by email at CSCLonline@michigan.gov.