UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Cremated remains were found in a storage unit being used by a Uniontown funeral director already charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients, Fayette County District Attorney Richard Bower said Thursday.
Twenty-one boxes of cremated remains were found in a large plastic container uncovered in the storage unit during the execution of a search warrant, Bower said.
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A relative of Stephen Kezmarsky III allowed him to use the storage unit, Bower said. She contacted authorities after finding paperwork from Kezmarsky Funeral Home, which led to the search warrant.
Of the 21 boxes of cremated remains found, seven of them were labeled with names. The remaining 14 boxes were not labeled.
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Kezmarsky had previously told investigators he did not know what had happened to the remains.
Kezmarsky faces a list of charges, including 21 counts of abuse of a corpse.
Prior to the discovery of the remains, Kezmarsky was charged in an investigation into money stolen from his clients.
Kezmarsky allegedly preyed on his clientele -- mostly senior citizens -- by stealing money from those who pre-paid for their own funerals, according officials.
On Thursday, Bower said there were more than 150 victims and approximately $600,000 had been stolen.
Bond for Kezmarsky was set at $500,000, but prosecutors have asked to have that removed so he can be held without bond.
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