A mass burial was held in Indiana on Wednesday for the more than 2,400 fetal remains found last year in the Illinois garage of a doctor who performed abortions.
Dr. Ulrich Klopfer operated three abortion clinics in South Bend, Indiana, before his license was suspended in 2015. He died on September 3.
While going through his belongings after his death, his family found medically-preserved remains at his home in Will County — about 45 miles from Chicago. Investigators found 2,246 fetal remains in the doctor’s garage and additional ones in the trunk of his vehicle.
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill held the burial at a cemetery in South Bend, “keeping them together in rest, each of them connected by their common fate,” he said.
“Today, we finally memorialize the 2,411 unborn babies whose remains were senselessly hoarded by Dr. Ulrich Klopfer after he performed the abortions from 2000 to 2003,” Hill said at the burial. “These babies deserved better than a cold, dark garage or the trunk of a car.”
Remains were in sealed bags
When the remains were found at the doctor’s home, they were inside small, sealed plastic bags that contained a chemical used to preserve biological material. The bags were in boxes that were mixed in with other storage boxes.
County officials did not provide details on how investigators determined they were from nearly two decades ago.
“The condition they are in, it is clear that they are older,” James Glasgow, Will County state’s attorney, said at the time.
Investigators also found abandoned medical records in Klopfer’s abortion clinics in Indiana. He did not follow Indiana law for disposal of the fetal remains and the filing of the proper paperwork, Glasgow said.
There is no evidence any medical procedures were conducted at the doctor’s property, according to the sheriff’s office.
After the remains were found last year, they were handed over to the Indiana district attorney.