Funeral home worker admits dumping baby's coffin on sidewalk

PHILADELPHIA -- (WALB) -- Police said a New Jersey funeral home worker dumped a coffin containing a deceased baby's organs on a city sidewalk, the funeral home director told police Thursday.

The 3-to-4-month-old baby was buried in South Jersey last Thursday.

Detectives said workers at the funeral home noticed the lid of coffin was broken, so they transferred the baby's body into another casket before burial.

For some reason, the funeral home worker dumped the casket on a Philadelphia sidewalk, not knowing the baby's organs were still inside. The casket was discovered Monday.

Police don't know why the worker abandoned it there.

"That's what we're trying to determine exactly why it was discarded," said Capt. Malachi Jones. "As we said, we are definitely investigating that and we have good direction and we are confident that this will be brought to closure very shortly."

No charges have yet been filed, and authorities have not named the funeral home.

Police have been in touch with the baby's parents and hope to reunite the body and organs, The Associated Press reported.

"The family is quite upset," he said.