North Attleboro Funeral Home Defends Decision To Take Tsarnaev's Body

NORTH ATTLEBORO (CBS) - The North Attlebor0 funeral home that originally took the body of Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev from the Medical Examiner's office is defending its actions with an ad in a local newspaper.

The body has since been moved to a funeral home in Worcester.  But, while many defended the actions of Dyer-Lake funeral, others criticized it for temporarily taking in the body, with impromptu protests erupting outside of the funeral home.

"Leave him where he was," said Pamela Michaud, who was one of about two dozen residents who showed up outside the funeral home Thursday night. "Let his family come and claim him. Take him back to Russia. Do what you need to do with him but don't bring him through our town."

Dyer-Lake's ad in the obituaries section of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle acknowledged the anger of some, but pointed out they were equally as horrified by the attack on Boston.

"We are honored to serve our community, our neighbors, our families. We proudly fly the American flag. We stand at one with Boston," the statement said.

But the note they were doing what authorities had directed them to do.

"The fact of the matter is this: We were directed by legal representation and authorities to simply transfer the body of this individual from the Medical Examiner to our facility, and then instructed by authorities to transfer the body elsewhere," the ad said. "We carried out the job we were asked to. This is what we do as a funeral home. We did not profit from our work. This was not about money."

Tsarnaev's body remains at a Worcester funeral home.  The director there says the family is having difficulty finding a cemetery willing to bury him.

Read the full statement, which also appears on Dyer-Lake's Facebook page:

Some have said it was disgraceful or shameful that we transferred the body of a high-profile suspect from the Medical Examiner's office in Boston to our facility and held the body briefly.

We , too, are horrified and outraged by the actions that killed, maimed and injured so many innocent people. It was inexcusable.

We understand and share in the anger and disgust that surrounds such cowardly acts of terrorism.

The fact of the matter is this: We were directed by legal representation and authorities to simply transfer the body of this individual from the Medical Examiner to our facility, and then instructed by authorities to transfer the body elsewhere. We carried out the job we were asked to. This is what we do as a funeral home. We did not profit from our work. This was not about money.

For those who demanded that we lower the American flag that flies so proudly at Dyer-Lake, please know this: Had we lowered the flag, then terrorism succeeds. We are one with Boston, one with our community and we are Dyer-Lake.