Construction crew finds body in old casket

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Human remains found within a casket have prompted a police investigation. Now, friends of the woman who went unburied for four years want to know why.

81-year-old Pauline Keller died back in June 2008. Friends said Keller paid for her funeral in full before she died.

According to her death certificate, former funeral director Marvin Boatright, who once ran his business at the building where the remains were found, was in charge of her remains and her funeral arrangements.

At about 6 p.m. Tuesday, construction workers in the building in the 2300 block of North Meridian Street, now unoccupied and undergoing renovations, found the casket with Keller's body inside, officials from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said.

Police detectives and the Marion County Crime Lab were investigating.

"Why? I just want to know why, and why didn't he tell me? "said U.Z. Tinker, who was Keller's guardian.

Tinker said he has all of his receipts to prove that Boatright received money for his services.

Boatright lost his license in 2008 amid many accusations against him. He was then investigated after unidentified cremains were found in his building in June 2009 , and an infant's body was found in a trash container near his busines.

A jury found Boatright guilty of forgery but couldn’t reach a verdict for 13 other charges against him. He was ordered to serve two months of community service.