PETOSKEY, Mich. – A funeral home in Northern Michigan is being shut down after an investigation found multiple violations inside.

Charles G. Parks Funeral Home in Petoskey has been shut down by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs after an investigation found "an imminent threat to the public health, safety, or welfare."

Orders of summary suspension were issued by LARA’s Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing (CSCL) bureau.

CSCL inspectors found deplorable, unsanitary conditions and other violations that included:

• An unclean and unsanitary embalming room, with a rusty machete on the counter, dirty sinks, and unsanitized tools; overflowing garbage receptacles and baseboard trim showing evidence of suspected worm infestation that was peeling away from the wall.

• Storage of human cremains alongside cremains of the owner’s dog and pet pig; and otherwise unidentified cremains.

• Improper storage of embalmed bodies found on March 6, 2018, in an unrefrigerated garage since January 2018, pending burial in May 2018; and in an unrefrigerated chapel, following funeral services held on March 2, 2018.

• Wooden caskets with blood-stained cardboard inside of them in the loft area above the funeral home and garage.

• Failure to escrow at least $4,935 for prepaid funeral goods or services related to two prepaid funeral contracts (a preliminary assessment in this ongoing investigation).

• Failure to deposit monies with an authorized escrow agent within 30 days of receipt.

• No current medical waste producer registration.

• Fraud or deceit in obtaining a license or registration.

• Fraud, deceit, or dishonesty, incompetence, and gross negligence in the practice of mortuary science.

“Michigan residents trust funeral home directors, owners, and their establishments to follow the law especially when dealing with the death of a loved one,” said CSCL Director Julia Dale. “We will continue to aggressively hold every funeral home in Michigan to the highest standards of public health and safety when providing final arrangements.”

CSCL will allow Charles G. Parks Funeral Home to complete funeral services that were in process as of March 6 or refer families to another licensed funeral home before the license suspension becomes effective March 9, 2018.