ORLANDO, Fla. — The cremated human remains of nine people were found on shelves and in boxes during a search of embattled professional guardian Rebecca Fierle's Orlando office, state agents confirmed to Spectrum News on Wednesday.
- Cremains found in urns during FDLE raid of professional guardian's office
- Guardian Rebecca Fierle is under fire for handling of wards in her care
- Attorney General's Office investigating whose cremains are in the urns
- RELATED:
The search warrant executed at Geriatric Management, LLC, at 1646 Hillcrest St. was part of an expanding criminal investigation focused on Fierle.
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found the cremains of nine people and one dog in urns, according to a spokesman with the Office of Florida Attorney General.
Investigators won’t comment on the scope of their probe and what specifically they were looking for, but they did say the remains will now have to be identified to determine who the individuals are, how they died, when they died, and other circumstances surrounding their deaths.
"As this investigation continues, we will be focusing on whose cremains are in the urns, medical records that identify the cause of death, how long the cremains have been in the target’s office and much more. As this is a very active criminal investigation, we cannot comment further at this time," the Attorney General's spokesman said.
The remains are now in the custody of the FDLE.
Fierle has been the subject of multiple inquiries, and now a criminal investigation, involving FDLE, the Florida Attorney General's Office, and others.
Last month, Ninth Circuit Judge Janet Thorpe accused Fierle of “abuse of powers” and called into question her handling of the care and finances of wards, or seniors she was appointed to oversee.
Judges removed Fierle from more than 150 of her 450 cases across 13 counties. She subsequently resigned from all of her cases.
Multiple investigations began after the May 2019 death of one of her wards, 75-year-old Steven Stryker of Brevard County, who investigators say had a "do not resuscitate" order filed by Fierle against his wishes. His feeding tube was capped, leading to his ultimate death days later.