Latest news with #MichiganDepartmentofLicensingandRegulatoryAffairs
Daily Record
05-08-2025
- Daily Record
Woman exploring abandoned funeral home calls police after terrifying discovery
The Swanson Funeral Home in Flint, Michigan, US, was shut down in 2017 after inspectors found maggot-infested corpses stacked up in cardboard boxes – but five years later another chilling secret was found A group of urban explorers' trip to an abandoned funeral home in the US ended with a chilling discovery, leading to police being called. The Swanson Funeral Home, located in Flint, Michigan, had been shut down by officials after unrefrigerated human bodies were discovered in squalid conditions during a 2017 inspection. Local residents had previously complained about a persistent odour of decay emanating from the premises. When inspectors from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) visited the site, they found maggots crawling over floors and work surfaces, and nearly a dozen human corpses left unrefrigerated, stacked against the walls in cardboard boxes. Five years later, in June 2022, three explorers ventured into the derelict building and stumbled upon something that sent shivers down their spines. Abandoned sites often attract explorers, like one Scottish mansion that had been reclaimed by nature. But photographer April Vertucci will never forget the time she stepped into a deserted funeral home. April, who goes by the name on TikTok, told the Mirror: "A lot of people knew about the funeral home so we thought we wouldn't have luck... But I walked up to the door and pulled and the door opened. Lock had been previously cut it looked like. I walked back to the car and told the guys the door was open." When the funeral home finally ceased operations, staff left behind embalming chemicals and equipment, and even a Cadillac hearse parked in the garage. Over the years since its closure, vandals had broken in, leaving graffiti on the walls and looting the various syringes and sets of PPE left behind by the former staff. But on the day they visited April and her friends Nick and Matt believed they were alone in the building. So when they came to a creepy stairwell that appeared to lead into the building's basement, it seemed safe enough to venture down into the gloom. "Matt is ahead of me going down the stairs," April recalled. "He yells out 'Is that real?' And calls for Nick and he comes from around the corner." In the centre of the otherwise virtually-empty basement stood a metal structure that resembled a jail cell. And lying crushed beneath it was the body of a man. "I am standing above the casket lift next to the stairs and hear them confirm that the body is in fact real and dead." The "jail cell" was in fact a large goods lift used to ferry coffins from the basement to the ground floor. The dead man is believed to have been a scavenger who had been trying to steal scrap metal from the site. A mobile phone lay just inches from the dead man's outstretched arm. April told the Detroit Metro Times: "You could see he had tried to crawl out from underneath [the lift]. "I've done some crazy s***, but I never expected to come across a dead body, and especially not one crushed to death by a lift. We were all pretty freaked out." The stunned urban explorers immediately contacted the authorities. April revealed to the Mirror: "We were interviewed by police and during that time the coroner came and stated the body had been there for six days making us impossible of having anything to do with the incident and we're sent on our way." Police declined to reveal the identity of the accident victim, who was thought to have perished several days before the grisly find. O'Neil D. Swanson II, proprietor of the funeral home, informed reporters that the man had been "crushed because he cut a cable" whilst attempting to pilfer metal wire from the premises, resulting in the lift plummeting onto him. "It's unfortunate that this happened," he continued. "But he had no business being in my facility." He revealed that since the business had shut down, the building had been pillaged by trespassers: "Unfortunately, criminals and thieves have come into that building, and they destroyed the electrical system, destroyed the plumbing system, took out wire took out, copper piping." Swanson went on to say he hoped to pursue legal action against the three explorers who had found the corpse, stating: "They're trespassers, they broke into my funeral home, and they had no business being on my property." April emphasised that – like all conscientious urban explorers – they hadn't inflicted any harm and had accessed the building via an open door. Several other urban exploration teams, including a group from the Abandoned Central YouTube channel, have followed April and her mates into the chilling Swanson Funeral Home. She's also revisited the spooky site, stating: "I went back. I know it's nuts but I did. It was open just like the last time." Swanson has publicly disputed the findings of the LARA inspectors. "We didn't have a bunch of decomposing bodies inside of our facility when the state came in," he said. "They absolutely were not decomposing. They were absolutely unrefrigerated, but waiting to be processed." A family member of Swanson, who runs a nearby funeral home, emphasised that his business, which also carries the name Swanson Funeral Home, had no ties with O'Neil D. Swanson II.
Daily Mirror
05-08-2025
- Daily Mirror
Woman walks into abandoned funeral home and immediately calls police after what she finds
Years after the closure of a funeral home, three friends ventured into the grimy, dilapidated building to find a grisly scene of death A group of urban explorers' visit to an abandoned funeral home ended with police being called after they made an horrific discovery. The Swanson Funeral Home in Flint, Michigan, US had been closed by the authorities after unrefrigerated human bodies were found in filthy conditions during an inspection in 2017. Neighbours had been complaining about a general smell of decay from the building. When inspectors from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) visited the facility they found maggots crawling over floors and work surfaces and nearly a dozen human corpses that had been left unrefrigerated and were simply stacked up along the walls in cardboard boxes. When the three explorers ventured into the dilapidated building five years later in June 2022, they found something that chilled them to the core. Photographer April Vertucci, who uses the name when she uploads videos of her exploring adventures to TikTok, told The Mirror: 'A lot of people knew about the funeral home so we thought we wouldn't have luck… But I walked up to the door and pulled and the door opened. Lock had been previously cut it looked like. I walked back to the car and told the guys the door was open.' When the funeral home had finally closed its doors, staff left behind embalming chemicals and equipment and even a Cadillac hearse in the garage. Over the years since its closure, vandals had broken in, leaving graffiti on the walls and looting the various syringes and sets of PPE left behind by the former staff. But on the day they visited April and her friends Nick and Matt believed they were alone in the building. So when they came to a creepy stairwell that appeared to lead into the building's basement, it seemed safe enough to venture down into the gloom. 'Matt is ahead of me going down the stairs,' April recalled. 'He yells out 'Is that real?' And calls for Nick and he comes from around the corner.' In the centre of the otherwise virtually-empty basement stood a metal structure that resembled a jail cell. And, lying crushed beneath it was the body of a man. 'I am standing above the casket lift next to the stairs and hear them confirm that the body is in fact real and dead.' The 'jail cell' was in fact a large goods lift used to ferry coffins from the basement to the ground floor. The dead man is believed to have been a scavenger who had been trying to steal scrap metal from the site. A mobile phone lay just inches from the dead man's outstretched arm. April told the Detroit Metro Times: "You could see he had tried to crawl out from underneath [the lift].' 'I've done some crazy s***, but I never expected to come across a dead body, and especially not one crushed to death by a lift. We were all pretty freaked out.' The shocked urban explorers immediately called the authorities. April told the Mirror: "We were interviewed by police and during that time the coroner came and stated the body had been there for six days making us impossible of having anything to do with the incident and we're sent on our way.' Police did not release the name of the accident victim, who was believed to have died several days before the gruesome discovery. O'Neil D. Swanson II, owner of the funeral home, told reporters that the man had been 'crushed because he cut a cable' to steal metal wire from the building, causing the lift to fall on top of him. 'It's unfortunate that this happened,' he added. 'But he had no business being in my facility.' He said that since the business had been closed the building had been ransacked by intruders: 'Unfortunately, criminals and thieves have come into that building, and they destroyed the electrical system, destroyed the plumbing system, took out wire took out, copper piping,' Swanson added that he hoped to take action against the three explorers that had discovered the body, complaining: 'They're trespassers, they broke into my funeral home, and they had no business being on my property.' April stressed that – like all responsible urban explorers – they hadn't caused any damage and had entered the property through an unlocked door. Several other teams of urban explorers, including a group from the Abandoned Central YouTube channel, have followed April and her friends into the eerie Swanson Funeral Home. She's also returned to the eerie location, explaining: "I went back. I know it's nuts but I did. It was open just like the last time." Swanson has also gone on record to reject the findings of the LARA inspectors, claiming: 'We didn't have a bunch of decomposing bodies inside of our facility when the state came in," he says. "They absolutely were not decomposing. They were absolutely unrefrigerated, but waiting to be processed.' A relative of Swanson, operating a nearby funeral home, stressed that his business, which also bears the name Swanson Funeral Home, had no connection with O'Neil D. Swanson II.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Claressa Shields shouldn't face marijuana penalty. Michigan must fix regulations.
Michigan is ahead of many other states when it comes to marijuana, and how to stop punishing its users. Voters made cannabis legal for medical use in 2008 and recreational use in 2018. And in 2021, the Clean Slate Act allowed for expungement of pre-2018 marijuana convictions. But the changes have not made their way to the state's regulations around combat sports, leading to last month's ludicrous suspension of one of Michigan's greatest athletes, potentially tarnishing her spotless reputation for clean competition. Claressa Shields, arguably the world's best active boxer, was suspended by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on behalf of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission after testing positive for a trace amount of marijuana. Shields said via social media that she's never used the drug, and is fighting the suspension. The state's order of suspension absurdly calls Shields' supposed conduct "an imminent threat to the integrity of the sport of professional boxing" and to "the public interest." The conflict between Michigan's marijuana laws and its boxing regulations is an embarrassing oversight that has left the state lagging behind the times, with stricter rules around marijuana detection than the NCAA and the Olympics. Changing that ought to be an easy fix for the Michigan Legislature. More: Claressa Shields says she's never used weed. Did secondhand smoke cause failed drug test? Last month, Claressa Shields became the first human ever to earn the title of undisputed world boxing champion in three different weight classes. If you're not a boxing fan, the incredible nature of that accomplishment may not quite be clear. Professional boxing is run, sloppily, by several different governing bodies: the WBO, WBC, WBA and IBF, which are sort of analogous to football's NFC and the AFC, if there were no NFL, and they didn't really get along. It's incredibly rare for a boxer to arrange and win bouts with all of the fighters wearing the top championship belts issued by each organization. Shields has spent the last eight years traveling the U.S. and the U.K., beating the tar out of all the other champions and contenders, unifying all the belts, moving up in weight and then doing it all again — and again. Along the way, she ventured into an entirely different sport, fighting three times in mixed martial arts, somehow winning twice, including a knockout. Her latest triumph came Feb. 2 in her home town of Flint, where she outboxed, knocked down and soundly defeated a significantly bigger heavyweight, cementing her dominance in a third weight class and her place in the professional boxing history books. Immediately after the fight, a mouth swab drug test was administered ― tests are given at random ― and Shields tested positive for marijuana metabolite, according to an order of suspension issued by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. While the results of the initial mouth swab haven't been officially released, Shields revealed on social media the test showed 3.4 nanograms per milliliter of marijuana metabolite in her system — considered a miniscule amount by most standards. Two other boxers on the same Feb. 2 card also tested positive for marijuana after fighting, a number the show promoter told USA Today boxing writer Josh Peter is unusual for a single event. One of them, like Shields, also paid for an independent urine test that showed no marijuana in his system, providing those results to Peter. A Free Press writer who covered the event confirmed reports that weed smoke was noticeable throughout the arena that night, and it isn't inconceivable that second-hand exposure may have played a role in those test results. An automatic suspension of Shields' Michigan boxing license was issued Feb. 12 as a result of the positive test, making international news and confusing many who were under the impression Michigan was ahead of the game on marijuana regulation. She's disputing the results of the test, saying via social media that she has never used marijuana and presenting clean results of a urine test taken six days after the fight. If you're tempted to roll your eyes at Shields' insistence that she doesn't partake, consider the two-time Olympic gold medalist has been training at the highest levels since she was 11. Introduced to the sport at the Berston Field House, a storied Flint community center, Shields has maintained the rigorous discipline required to compete in the world's most elite competitions for almost two decades, with a previously unsullied record. State officials say they can't talk about Shields' case because it's still being adjudicated. But it's almost offensive that outdated regulations might land any athlete in this position. While it's hard to argue that marijuana could be a performance-enhancing drug, a case can certainly be made that being high on marijuana during a fight could hinder and endanger a competitor. But no one is making that case. Many sports organizations have changed their rules around testing in recent years to keep with changing perceptions of the drug. The NCAA lifted its ban on cannabis use for college athletes last year, canceling penalties for past violations. The World Anti-Doping Agency, which coordinates drug policy for international sporting events including the Olympics, allows a threshold of 150 ng/ml of marijuana metabolite. That's about about 44 times the amount Shields says she's accused of having in her system. Boxing commissions across the country have also evolved with the times, said Michael Mazzuli, Connecticut-based president of the Association of Boxing Commissions. "There are not many states or tribal commissions that test for marijuana," he said. "... I just don't want it to adversely affect a fighter's career. Their careers are so short." In Michigan, it's legal for anyone over 21 to purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana at a time. But state law still classifies "marihuana" as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, Schedule 2 "if it is manufactured, obtained, stored, dispensed, possessed, grown, or disposed of" legally. And the law that governs unarmed combat in Michigan simply bars competitors and officials in boxing and mixed martial arts from having any presence of a controlled substance in their systems during a bout. Any positive test results, regardless of the amount, result in an automatic suspension processed by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on behalf of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission. The commission is made up of 11 unpaid members appointed by the governor who meet several times a year, typically voting to approve previously negotiated penalties for fighters accused of violating state rules. Members of the commission don't weigh in immediately on a drug-related suspension, but could ultimately decide Shields' fate. If the results of the drug test and the suspension are upheld, the commission could levy fines or impose penalties in addition to the suspension. Shields is scheduled for a Thursday meeting with an assistant attorney general, where she'll seek to have her suspension revoked. A hearing with an administrative law judge could follow, said LARA spokesperson Abby Rubley. The commission's next meeting is March 13, but Shields' case is not on the agenda. Even if the results of those mouth swab tests taken the night of the event were ironclad, the presence of tiny amounts of a perfectly legal, non-performance-enhancing drug is no reason to halt the careers of Michigan combat athletes. Michigan boxing fans can only hope that as Shields' fame continues to grow around the world, she'll keep going out of her way to fight in her home state, rather than opting for more lucrative paydays elsewhere. In the meantime — there's got to be a boxing fan somewhere in the state Capitol. Khalil AlHajal is deputy editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press. Contact: kalhajal@ Submit a letter to the editor at and we may publish it online and in print. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MI must fix weed regulations. Shields shouldn't be punished | Opinion
