BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Citing recent reports of mishandling of human remains and for refusing to take responsibility when the Bellingham funeral services business was blamed, the funeral services president has announced that the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office staff and equipment is no longer using the funeral services business’ property.
The announcement, made Wednesday, June 12th, states the Medical Examiner’s Office was requested to end using the property for conducting autopsies and storing remains. This arrangement had been in place for months while construction at the Medical Examiner’s Office was occurring.
We agreed last year to temporarily provide the county use of our preparation room for autopsies, plus office space and a space to place a storage cooler for decedents. However, we won’t tolerate substandard operations and the county’s refusal to immediately make clear that [the funeral services business] wasn’t responsible for the negligent care of the decedents.
– Bellingham funeral services business announcement (June 12, 2024)