Family Sues Over Discovery That Father’s Ashes Sat in Funeral Home Basement for Decades

After discovering that her father’s cremains were never buried at the family cemetery, a New Jersey woman sued. Her father’s grave was empty, as the remains were boxed in a funeral parlor.

Debbie Uraga sued John F. Pfleger Funeral Home and Mount Olivet Cemetery in Union County Superior Court. After her father, George Jonas, died in May 1993, Uraga claims his cremated remains were to be buried at the Mount Olivet family plot with other close relatives. She visited his tomb for years, ignorant that it was vacant.

Uraga claims a veteran-advocacy group that finds unclaimed remains contacted her in June. A box in the funeral home basement had her father’s ashes, the organization told her. Uraga was shocked and felt deceived by the discovery. She subsequently discovered that the funeral parlor had kept the bones for 31 years without alerting her or intergrating them.

According to the complaint, the funeral home tried to contact Uraga for disposition instructions but was unable. Uraga adamantly denies interaction. She claims she lived minutes from the funeral home, making it hard to think the directors couldn’t reach her. Now that she has the urn, she wants a dignified funeral for her father and an explanation for the maltreatment.

Her attorney said this case shows a failure in human remains chain of custody regulations. The lawsuit alleges carelessness, emotional distress, and “reckless and outrageous” actions by those handling her father’s remains.

Uraga seeks to secure justice for her family and highlight funeral houses’ and cemeteries’ duties to bereaved families as the judicial process progresses.

Sources
People magazine human-interest article
Patch local news report
WCBS / CNN Newsource reporting