Authorities are working to identify six bodies and 154 cremated remains found in a Hayward warehouse tied to an unlicensed crematorium, California officials told news outlets.

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Oceanview Cremations lost its license in 2018 but continued to operate, storing bodies and remains off-site, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department told KGO.

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Five bodies and four sets of remains have been identified, Lt. Tya Modeste, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, told CBS News. The owner has been unable to identify the others.

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“We don’t know whose ashes he has,” Modeste said.

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Sheriff’s officials discovered the remains Friday, March 10, after being notified by state officials that the crematorium was operating without a license, KRON reported.

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Families told authorities they assumed the remains of their loved ones had been scattered at sea or otherwise properly handled after they could not contact the owner, KNTV reported.

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“After a period of time, they just assumed that their loved one was taken care of in the way that they entrusted Oceanview to take care of them. So the remains were supposed to be spread at sea. And that clearly didn’t happen,” Modeste told KGO.

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Officials advised families who used Oceanview Cremations from 2013 to 2022 to call the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau at 510-382-3000.

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Hayward is a city of 160,000 people about 30 miles southeast of San Francisco.

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