Inset: Terica Pearl (Etowah County Jail). Background: The hearse at the West Gadsden Funeral Home in Gadsden, Ala., where Terica Pearl allegedly abandoned a deceased infant (WBRC).
An Alabama funeral director was profoundly shocked on Saturday when he discovered the body of a baby girl inside a hearse—reportedly placed there by a 29-year-old woman accused of the infant’s murder, according to police.
Gadsden resident Terica Pearl is suspected of leaving the baby at the West Gadsden Funeral Home between Friday night and Saturday morning, as per local news accounts.
Authorities were alerted on Saturday morning after a staff member attempted to move the hearse and found the infant’s remains at the back, NBC affiliate WVTM reported.
City officials and funeral home director, Dantez Robinson, communicated with AL.com and various media outlets regarding the unsettling event prior to Pearl’s arrest on Sunday. They all called for justice to be served and for the baby to receive a proper burial, a commitment Robinson has promised to uphold.
“To do this,” Robinson said, “you’re sick in the head.”
Robinson reportedly said the hearse was locked and empty when he parked it the night before the child’s body was discovered inside.
“It’s appalling,” he expressed to AL.com. “Regardless of who did this, we will ensure this baby receives a dignified burial. It’s tragic for a life to end so prematurely, and we are committed to standing up and ensuring this child is laid to rest properly.”
The Gadsden Police Department says Pearl allegedly killed the child and then placed the infant’s body inside the hearse, with it being exposed and not in a casket.
Robinson told AL.com that a groundskeeper initially thought the baby was a doll of some sort.
“He just noticed something,” Robinson recalled.
“He was just shocked,” the funeral director reportedly added. “To see that and to see my employee in disbelief, I was lost for words when I put the call out to the police department.”
The Etowah County Coroner’s Office reportedly confirmed the child was 21 months old.
Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford told local outlets in a statement that the case has been “tough” for everybody involved, including cops. “An arrest doesn’t take away the hurt, but it does mean we’re one step closer to justice for this child,” Ford said.
Robinson, who is also the area’s assistant coroner, told AL.com that he has seen a lot of macabre and disturbing things over the years, but this rivals all of it.
“To see something like this really sent me into another level of shock,” he said. “We want this baby to have justice.”
Pearl, who is charged with murder, was behind bars Sunday without bond.
