Moles Farewell Tributes & Crematory Center is no longer serving as Whatcom County’s temporary morgue after allegations emerged that multiple human remains were improperly stored in May.
“After learning about reports regarding the mishandling of decedents in May under the care of the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office, we asked them last week to quickly move staff and equipment off our property,” said John Moles, president of Moles Farewell Tributes, in a Wednesday, June 12 statement. He noted that the two had shared the space since 2023. “However, we won’t tolerate substandard operations and the county’s refusal to immediately make clear that Moles Farewell Tributes wasn’t responsible for the negligent care of the decedents.”
Whatcom County spokesperson Jed Holmes confirmed the temporary morgue had been shifted to Simple Cremation in Bellingham as of Friday, June 7. Autopsies conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office have been done either at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center or the new facility where Whatcom County has a storage and use agreement.
Additionally, Holmes said the county was in the process of hiring an investigator to look into why human remains were unrefrigerated after the Medical Examiner performed autopsies.
“Our information appears to be incomplete, and there are discrepancies in the information we have received from our two contractors, Hunt Forensics and Moles,” Holmes said. “With the advice and counsel of the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, an independent inquiry is being conducted in order to get a more complete picture of what transpired.”
A state investigation into Moles Farewell Tributes was opened in June after the Department of Licensing received complaints from two Whatcom County funeral homes about six to seven bodies being improperly stored at Moles Farewell Tributes & Crematory Center – Bayview Chapel on behalf of the Medical Examiner’s Office in mid-May.
The Medical Examiner’s Office, led by Allison Hunt, has been going through renovations since 2023. The county and Moles, or Lengosot LLC, had a contract for temporary storage which included a three-person refrigerator at Moles’ Bellingham location and then additional storage at its Greenacres facility in Ferndale.
Whatcom County Council recently approved a lease extension in May so that the ME’s Office can continue to use the space.
The ME’s Office, now known as outside contractor Hunt Forensics, is also undergoing the process of officially becoming part of the county as well as becoming accredited by the International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners.
Moles said in a previous statement on Thursday, June 6 that it was the acting landlord and could not move the remains without permission from the ME’s Office, which had legal responsibility for the remains.
At the time, on May 10, the ME’s Office said it had funeral homes coming to pick up the remains. But when Moles workers returned after the weekend on May 13, they found no one had picked up the remains.
“It was the sole responsibility of the Medical Examiner’s Office to make arrangements for the proper handling of those decedents … We are heartbroken over this mismanagement and negligence by the Medical Examiner’s Office,” Moles said at the time.
In addition to the new morgue space, the county has acquired a refrigerator truck to store remains if more storage capacity is needed, Holmes said. County Executive Satpal Sidhu has also directed the county’s Facilities Division to prioritize completion of the renovation of the county morgue at the State Street property.
Moles Farewell Tributes had been contracted as the temporary morgue for Whatcom County as the ME’s Office undergoes renovations at its 1500 N. State St. facility. The day-to-day operations for the ME’s office are currently located in the basement of the Whatcom County Courthouse.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
