2,246 fetal remains were found at the home of late Dr. Ulrich Klopfer earlier this month. The aborted fetal remains, which were hermetically sealed in plastic bags and placed in cardboard boxes, were discovered in Klopfer’s garage after Klopfer’s widow and her sister started cleaning and sorting the property after his death on September 3.

Klopfer’s wife’s attorney Kevin Bolger said the remains are from the abortions that Klopfer had performed over several years at clinics in Fort Wayne, Gary, and South Bend, Indiana, before his license was suspended in 2016. Klopfer was stripped of his medical licenses after he failed to report the rape of a 10-year-old patient, who was raped by a family member, as well as botched abortions and other malpractice suits.

Attorney Bolger said finding the fetal remains was a “total shock” for Klopfer’s wife and her sister.

The law is unclear for storing aborted fetal remains. While Klopfer performed abortions before the 2016 Indiana law that required fetal remains to be buried or cremated. Before that, clinics were able to send remains with other human tissue and medical waste for incineration. The 2016 law also made it illegal to take fetal remains over state lines.

Jackie Appleman Executive Director with Saint Joseph County Right to Life told WNDU News, “Indiana recently passed a law that fetal remains need to be given proper burial or cremated.”

Right to Life is working with officials to be sure that the remains are given a proper burial.

Pete Buttigieg commented about the news of Klopfer’s fetus collection.

Rep. Jackie Walorski stated,“Every human life is precious, and every woman and baby deserves care and respect. This tragic case shows why abortion providers must be held to strict guidelines and face rigorous oversight. I will be looking into federal legislation to ensure the remains of aborted babies are always treated with dignity, including in the case of chemical abortions.”

According to Associated Press, a similar situation happened before when over 16,000 fetuses were found inside a cargo container in the ’80s. The repossessed container was from the property of a former operator of a medical lab that received fetus tissue for analysis. There were also some instances where physicians took home body parts from corpses.