Barksdale Funeral Home in Detroit shut down due to 'unsanitary' conditions

State revokes funeral home's license after failed inspection reports

DETROIT – A funeral home on Detroit's east side has less than a week before the doors will be locked for good.

The funeral home was ordered to be shut down by the state, and despite operating for decades, inspection reports left the state no option but to revoke its license.

Barksdale Funeral Home has operated in Detroit on the east side since 1968, but there won't be another funeral service on Sunday.

Barksdale is accused of committing acts of gross negligence when it comes to caring for the deceased.

The funeral home's website says the workers are "caring and experienced professionals," but that's not how Michigan's Licensing and Regulatory Affairs viewed the operation.

The state's inspections found Barksdale left cremated remains in garages and the basement of the facility.

The state discovered 237 cremated remains were stored on East State Fair just off of I-75. The remains were in "poor condition" and some "lacked any label or form of identification," according to the inspection reports.

When asked, Barksdale was "unable to provide the Department any such list or other paperwork." Officials said they didn't know who was who.

That's just the beginning. Reports show the embalming room was unsanitary. There was a blood-stained box used to transport bodies, and work spaces were filthy.

The state cited Barksdale with 14 violations and determined it "demonstrates incompetence in the practice of mortuary science," resulting in the license getting revoked.

The state gave Barksdale a few months off to clean up its act, but when the inspectors returned at the end of 2017, it was determined "little or no progress in cleaning up the embalming room."

Officials said the funeral home's license had experience in late October, and it continued to operate without a valid license. Barksdale failed to return left over funds of nearly $3,000 back to families.

Local 4 walked into the funeral home Wednesday while they opened and tried to get a response to what's outlined in the inspections, but they had no comment.


About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.