Police Find Human Remains in Weymouth, Somerville Storage Units

Police found human remains Thursday in a Weymouth storage unit while executing a search warrant in a larceny case against a former Dorchester funeral home director.

On Wednesday, police discovered cremated remains in an East Somerville storage unit on Linwood Street while investigating the same case, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Multiple sets of adult remains were in the Public Storage unit at 1470 Main St. in Weymouth, authorities said.

“Based on the facts and evidence developed thus far, investigators do not believe their deaths were the result of foul play, but the circumstances of their placement in the storage facility is a central point of inquiry,” according to a release from the district attorney’s office.

Authorities are investigating 55-year-old Joseph V. O’Donnell, who ran a funeral home on Neponset Avenue in Dorchester.

O’Donnell allegedly accepted over $12,000 from an elderly couple to cover two future funerals. Then, when the couple wanted to apply the funds to a relative who had died, they learned that O’Donnell’s funeral home had closed, and he would not repay them, authorities said.

Boston Police arrested O’Donnell on April 10, and he is being held on $10,000 bail on two larceny charges.

As the investigation continues, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said determining the identities of the remains is a top priority.

“We’ve seized records and documents that could help us locate those people’s families,” he said in a statement, “but this will be a time- and labor-intensive task.”

Authorities are also investigating if O’Donnell took other payments and if he conducted funerals after his director’s license lapsed in 2008.

Anyone with concerns about a past payment to O’Donnell may contact the district attorney’s office at 617-619-4010.