Warren homeowner finds 'cremains' under the stairs

A Franklin Street man uncovered a mystery while fixing the stairs at his home Monday: The cremated remains of a man dead nearly a quarter century. Now he’s trying to find a next of kin.

“This isn’t something you just throw away,” said Joseph Brum, who bought the tidy bungalow in which the remains were found two years ago with his wife, Sandra.

“We would like to be able to do the right thing.”

Mr. Brum found the remains Monday while replacing treads on the home’s main set of stairs They were tucked underneath the lowest tread, which was accessible from a closet underneath the stairs. The remains had been tucked so far under the treads that he had never noticed them beforehand.

“When I got to the last one there was a small duffle bag with a tin inside,” he said. “I was joking that maybe it was loaded with money.”

Instead, the tin contained a plastic bag of remains, as well as a cremation certificate. According to the paperwork, the remains are those of Robert Edward Leach, 76, who passed away in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on June 2, 1993. The certificate also listed the funeral home that facilitated the cremation.

According to interviews with funeral home workers in Florida and Texas, as well as Warren town clerk employees, here is what is known about Mr. Leach and his next of kin, who are still unaccounted for. Mr. Brum hopes to contact someone who can take back their loved one’s remains:

Mr. Leach was born in Middleboro, Mass., but lived in Wilton Manor, Fla., right outside of Ft. Lauderdale, from 1965 until his death. He was a widower upon his death in 1993, and funeral home records indicate services were paid for by Charles King, listed in paperwork as his son-in-law. Though the funeral home listed Mr. King as having an address in Ft. Lauderdale, he was also the former owner of the Brums’ home on Franklin Street. In 2000, Mr. King transferred title of the home to his wife — most likely Mr. Leach’s daughter — Marjorie Aragao King.

Ms. King sold the home to the Brums two years ago.

Little is known about Ms. King’s current whereabouts. An Internet search lists her as having moved to Bastrop, Texas, but a phone number for her there is disconnected. A funeral home worker in Bastrop said there are no death records locally for either a Marjorie King or Marjorie Leach.

Though that trail appears cold, there is still one more clue: Mr. Brum said that when he and his wife closed on the house, Ms. King sent a daughter to the closing.

“So there’s got to be a daughter out there somewhere,” he said.

If you have any information on how to reach relatives of Ms. King, Mr. Brum would like to hear from you. He can be reached at 401-486-0315.

“We don’t want to haveRobert here anymore,” he said. “Seriously, this is a very important thing and we want him to be back with loved ones if possible.”