The family of a doctor in Illinois discovered more than 2,200 medically preserved fetuses at his property a little over a week after his death, the authorities said.

The Will County Coroner’s Office received a call on Thursday from a lawyer representing the family of the doctor, Ulrich Klopfer, who died on Sept. 3 , the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

While going through Dr. Klopfer’s property, the family found 2,246 medically preserved fetal remains, the release said. At the request of the family, the lawyer asked the coroner’s office to remove the remains.

It was unclear how the fetuses were preserved, where on Dr. Klopfer’s property they were discovered or where exactly the property was. Public records showed the doctor owned a home in Crete, Ill., a village about 35 miles south of Chicago. The release only said officials responded to “an address in unincorporated Will County.”