Dead Michigan Man Billed For Removal Of His Body [Audio]

A Northern Michigan family is dumbfounded after their deceased loved one received a bill for his own body removal. The bill is addressed to Carl Little who died in a car crash on I-75 just south of the Mackinac Bridge last month.

Rebecca Beck told FOX 17 News where the bill came from, and what it was for.  The itemized bill lists that the $500 charge stems from services provided that include two fire trucks, eight firemen and one rescue truck.

“I understand when the fire departments need to be paid,” Beck told FOX 17. “They’re very small departments…they don’t get a lot of tax dollars. I just believe that they need to go about collecting the money in a different way.”

The silver lining to the dark cloud comes from Beck's lawyer, who advised her not to pay the bill, because it's not addressed to her. If they want to collect from a dead person, good luck is apparently his philosophy.

FOX 17 also talked to Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Stahlmeyer of the Grand Rapids Fire Department, who told them it's not uncommon for Fire Departments to recover some of their costs this way.