Authorities are investigating how an embalmed infant from Dallas ended up in a shipment of linens delivered to a Shreveport dry cleaner.

Just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Shreveport police were called to Alsco Uniforms on Hollywood Avenue after employees reported finding what appeared to be a mummified infant wrapped in laundry.

“It was a very disturbing scene,” said Cpl. Chris Bordelon. “Officers found what was a small infant, what was described as mummified.”

Detectives determined the linens came from Golden Gate Funeral Home in Dallas. Police said the child died on May 3 and was scheduled to be cremated following a funeral service on May 17, but the body instead ended up in a shipment of laundry bound for Shreveport.

“It was a very bizarre set of circumstances,” Bordelon said. “Our violent crimes team began their investigation and were able to track down the load of linens.”

Detectives believe the infant had been embalmed, based on the strong odor and early signs of decomposition observed at the scene.

“The detective on scene even told me it smelled strongly of formaldehyde, which is something that’s not typical of any of our crime scenes,” Bordelon said.

The baby was found wearing clothing embroidered with the initials “K.M.,” the only identity police have officially confirmed.

No foul play is suspected, but investigators said the incident appears to involve negligence.

“This clearly is some type of act of negligence, whether it be on the part of a cleaning service for the funeral home or the funeral home itself,” Bordelon said.

The remains are now in the custody of the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office, which is coordinating to return the child to the family in Dallas.

Authorities said that the Texas Funeral Service Commission has been notified and that the investigation will continue across state lines.

“There are laws when it comes to discarding of bodies, and the funeral home and or any individuals involved could be subject to those laws,” Bordelon said.

NBC 5 reached out to Golden Gate Funeral Home, which declined to comment.

“This is an unfortunate set of circumstances that no family should have to go through,” Bordelon said.

A disturbing discovery in Shreveport, Louisiana, has launched a multi-agency investigation after a stillborn infant was found among soiled medical linens in a commercial laundry shipment that originated in Dallas, Texas.

The infant’s body was discovered by employees at a medical laundry facility in Shreveport on the morning of May 23. According to preliminary reports, the facility had received a bulk shipment of hospital linens from several medical centers in the Dallas area, and it was during the sorting process that staff made the grim discovery. Authorities were called immediately, and the scene was secured while law enforcement and forensic teams responded.

Police have since confirmed that the remains belong to a stillborn infant. The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office took custody of the body for examination and is working in cooperation with Dallas medical authorities and law enforcement to determine how the remains ended up in a load of laundry sent across state lines.

Detectives from the Shreveport Police Department say the infant appeared to have been wrapped in hospital linens, suggesting the child was likely stillborn in a medical setting. “At this time, all indicators point to the child being deceased prior to transport,” said a spokesperson from the Shreveport Police. “We are treating this as a tragic incident and are working closely with partner agencies to trace the origin and determine if protocols were followed.”

The laundry facility where the infant was found is contracted to clean medical linens from hospitals across the South-Central U.S., including several major healthcare providers in Dallas-Fort Worth. Officials have not yet released the names of the hospitals involved, citing the sensitivity of the investigation and the need to notify all relevant parties.

An official with the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office stated that an autopsy will be conducted to confirm the gestational age of the infant and whether any additional forensic evidence can be gathered. Toxicology tests and a full pathology report are expected to follow in the coming weeks.

Hospital protocols in cases of stillbirth typically involve sensitive handling and documentation of the remains, especially if the gestational age is over 20 weeks. In such cases, the family is usually offered options for burial or cremation, and the remains are to be transported by funeral services or kept temporarily in the hospital morgue. For an infant to end up in soiled linens and be shipped across state lines, several serious procedural failures would likely have occurred.

Healthcare administrators and patient safety advocates say the discovery points to a potential breakdown in hospital protocols — whether from a lack of communication, improper tagging of biohazard materials, or a critical oversight during post-delivery handling. “This is a profoundly tragic situation,” said Dr. Elise Hammond, a bioethics expert. “Every stillbirth should be treated with the utmost care and dignity. For this to happen suggests a lapse in the chain of responsibility that should never occur.”

The hospital or facility where the stillbirth occurred has not yet been officially identified. Investigators in Dallas are reviewing hospital records from the past week and working to pinpoint the delivery location. Meanwhile, law enforcement in Shreveport is focusing on documenting the condition of the remains and collecting evidence from the laundry facility to determine how the infant was discovered and how long the body may have been in transport.

So far, no charges have been filed, and officials emphasize that they are treating the matter with sensitivity. “This appears to be a deeply unfortunate error rather than a deliberate act,” said one law enforcement source close to the case. “However, we are taking it seriously and will be looking at every angle — including medical documentation, transport logs, and facility policies.”

Employees at the laundry facility who discovered the infant are reportedly traumatized by the experience. The company has offered counseling and support services to those affected. One staff member, who asked not to be identified, said, “We thought it was a bundle of sheets at first, like we always see. Then someone noticed the shape didn’t look right. It was horrifying. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Medical professionals who handle postnatal care and bereavement say the discovery underscores the need for clear procedures and checks at every stage. “When a stillbirth occurs, there should be multiple levels of oversight — from nursing staff, to transport personnel, to hospital administration,” said Rachel Nguyen, a perinatal loss counselor based in Austin. “To imagine a tiny body being lost among hospital laundry is beyond heartbreaking.”

While stillbirths are medically classified as fetal deaths after 20 weeks of gestation, each case carries emotional weight for the family involved. National guidelines emphasize compassionate care, respectful handling, and documentation. Most hospitals have bereavement teams specifically trained for such cases, but implementation can vary depending on staffing and resources.

In this case, authorities have not yet confirmed whether the infant’s family had been informed of the stillbirth prior to the body’s discovery. If the incident involved a recent delivery, medical records may help identify the mother and establish whether hospital staff had followed reporting and documentation protocols. If a family was not properly informed or if the infant’s remains were mishandled, legal ramifications could follow.

As the investigation spans both Louisiana and Texas, cooperation between state and local agencies is essential. The Texas Department of State Health Services has joined the inquiry, as has the Louisiana Department of Health. Federal oversight could come into play if it is determined that hospital waste handling laws or interstate transport regulations were violated.

While investigations continue, the body of the infant remains in Shreveport under the care of the coroner’s office. The local community has expressed sorrow over the discovery, with some residents leaving flowers outside the laundry facility in a spontaneous memorial. “We may never know who this child belonged to, but we mourn them all the same,” said one resident.

Officials have stressed that the investigation is ongoing and that updates will be provided as soon as more facts are established. For now, the central focus remains on identifying the origin of the shipment and ensuring that such a devastating mistake cannot happen again.

The case has already drawn the attention of national media and medical ethics groups, many of whom are calling for stronger oversight and more stringent hospital protocols to prevent a repeat of such a deeply disturbing event.