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Immy.....I have a question....I expect most funeral homes are respectful and proper, but seriously, how common is stuff like this?



Cremations halted after families speak

By HOLBROOK MOHR, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 1 minute ago



Families that took their late loved ones to a crematorium now suspected of mishandling human remains crowded a public meeting Thursday, by turns scolding and supporting the facility's owner.

Sharon Ward of Jackson held a small white box and fought back tears as she expressed her concerns about Seepe Funeral Home and Crematorium to the state Board of Funeral Service.

"This is all I have left of my husband. This is it. This was sent to me empty," she said of the box. "So when I found out it was empty, it was sent back. But now it has somebody's remains in here. I don't know who they belong to."

The home was later ordered to stop cremating bodies, at least until a hearing is held next week, at the request of the state Board of Funeral Service.

Owner Mark Seepe has been accused of dumping partially cremated remains in a trash bin outside the business and giving the wrong remains to relatives of the dead.

The investigation was launched after Lori Wilkinson, a former employee, came forward with pictures that appear to show the bones of several people mixed in a 55-gallon drum.

She told authorities she was horrified to see Seepe shoveling bones into a wheelbarrow when the crematory was undergoing repairs, then dumping the load in a barrel for disposal.

Some other former employees later made similar claims. The allegations have outraged people who used the facility, and dozens of them crowded into the funeral board's meeting Thursday.

Joseph Adams said that his father's last wish was to be put in a gallon Mason jar and that Seepe told him it would be taken care of.

"When we got there, he brought my dad out in a one-gallon olive jar with the label still on it," Adams said. "Not only was that disrespectful to me, it was disrespectful to my father."

Others at the meeting defended Seepe, including Lynda Lea Lollar, who said she has worked for him in the past and used his services.

"I don't think for one moment that is not my brother in that urn," she said.

Said Seepe defender Bob Jackson: "I've known the guy for a long time and I think a bunch of this stuff is a bunch of bull."

Linda Van Every Patterson scolded the board, saying it should have investigated more thoroughly in November when former crematorium employee Josh Hatten told family members they had been given ashes before their relative had even been cremated.

Patterson said the board had told her Hatten was simply a "disgruntled employee."

The family is suing Seepe for $5 million.

Later Thursday, Hinds County Chancellor William Singletary prohibited the facility from "destroying or otherwise disposing of cremains" until the matter is investigated. A hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Attorney General Jim Hood, who had asked for the injunction at the funeral board's request, said that he has not been able to confirm the allegations but that a state anthropologist did find human bone fragments in a trash bin.

Seepe has not responded to messages left by The Associated Press.

How horrible for the families....although the question I have...how do they know what ashes are their family members or not?

I don't mean to sound stupid, just not familar with cremation....

Basically, there should be no question. If you trust your loved ones to be cremated, then it should be carried out and properly. Bottom line is that I guess you never can be sure, unless you stand there and watch everything that is being done. Sad, but true. If that is is the case, then you should get a discount!

Good question Wendy and I think Moonpie's probably got the answer there. I think (hope?) most places would do the right thing because that's why they want to be in that business, but like you said, how do you really know?

A bunch of years ago, our main local funeral home got caught for having dumped boxes of cremains in the local dump. They claimed the ashes were never collected by kin but that doesn't excuse them for what they did. In our small town that kind of killed their business and now they're long gone. I keep reading accounts of this kind of stuff. And about 8 years ago I think, there was a book out (true story) that dealt with a family funeral home who frequently broke bones in order to get the dead into their coffins and they stole jewelry off the dead. I'm thinking it's probably more prevalent than any of us would want to believe.

---------------- Listening to: Indigenous / You Left Me This Mornin' via FoxyTunes

RedGlitter;825825 wrote: Good question Wendy and I think Moonpie's probably got the answer there. I think (hope?) most places would do the right thing because that's why they want to be in that business, but like you said, how do you really know?

A bunch of years ago, our main local funeral home got caught for having dumped boxes of cremains in the local dump. They claimed the ashes were never collected by kin but that doesn't excuse them for what they did. In our small town that kind of killed their business and now they're long gone. I keep reading accounts of this kind of stuff. And about 8 years ago I think, there was a book out (true story) that dealt with a family funeral home who frequently broke bones in order to get the dead into their coffins and they stole jewelry off the dead. I'm thinking it's probably more prevalent than any of us would want to believe.

---------------- Listening to: Indigenous / You Left Me This Mornin' via FoxyTunes


definately more than we would want to believe for sure, you would think that people in that line of business would be respectful of the families of their "customers"--not to be morbid....but it just seems so sad that people could actually steal from the dead, knowing that family members are mourning, and furthermore, paid a pretty penny to have them "take care" of their loved one....it is very sad indeed.

Since I recently went thru this & had wondered how do you know if the ashes are your loved ones ? You don't

It's another trust issue - trusting a Company to do their job properly.

And after my Roofing Job nightmare - I can't trust.

On a regular Funeral with a casket, there are families who want a closed casket.

It's a choice and I respect the choices available.

If and when I've had to bury a loved one - I do inspect the body sort of speak. I've applied make up and brought in curling irons to style a loved one.

And I also watch the closing of a casket & Lowering of the casket.

Handling a deceased is sacred - is the deceased handled properly at all levels ?

I certainly hope so - but it's not always the case.

Trust the Company to handle this sacred process - NO and I have several reasons not to.

Someone has to be the advocate dead or alive.

Patsy

Obviously I don't know what the rules are in the US but I can tell you what happens here.



When a body is cremated they are taken to the crematorium in a coffin which has a name plate on (I should imagine that all funeral directors label bodies when they come in - we always have).



The technician checks the name plate against his list of cremations for that day.



Each coffin goes into its own cremator (one body, one coffin) which is labled on the outside.



At the end of the process the remains are then put in a machine which grinds anything left and removes any metal that hasn't melted, again this is labled.



After that the remains are put into a plastic bag which is sealed and labled and then into a temporary container which is again labled.



It's really, really, really hard to get the wrong remains!!!



As for storage - we have remains going back to the 70's waiting to be collected or for a partner to die to then be together. Some places make a charge for holding then, we never have.



As far as I'm concerned it all comes down to respect, each and every body should be treated as you would want a family member treated.





BTW for a burial - it's equally as hard to get the wrong person buried provided the body is labled when they come in.

And I've just realised that I didn't really answer the question!!



It's not common over here mainly because most funeral homes use either a council run crematorium or one that is owned by a big company and used by many funeral homes.



We obviously do have places that are better than others and some that should be bloody ashamed of the way they conduct their business.



There are trade organisations that you can complain to but funerals directors are not required by law to belong to them so generally anyone dodgy won't join.

fuzzy butt;825892 wrote: Watched a show yesterday on embalming and cremation and burial and exactly what happens. They showed EVERYTHING, (we dont' have that fuzzying out on our Broadcasting.) Embalming for display was a bit off putting, I dont' think I'll be having anyone embalmed. The creepiest thing I'd ever seen. And the work involved is amazing....and the cost was astronomical!!!


It's a bit gruesome!



I've never watched it but I've seen the tools!!!!:-3

My mum always says to me she wants to be cremated when she goes,, and she stresses that i must make sure she is cremated on her own and not with others so that we dont know whos ashes we have. I have often worried about and thought,, bloomin ek,, just HOW do i make sure??

Changing the subject slightly ....

Where I live in PA it seems to be the norm to have an open casket at a funeral :-3 When in the UK (south) - I don't remember ever hearing of an open casket funeral. Is this the norm for USA generally? How common is it in the UK?

Do you think an open casket helps the loved ones in some way?

I think it depends on the people, Pheasy. And personal preference too. I'm sure it does help some people to make the connection that their loved one is really gone. Open caskets don't bother me but (and this is MY OWN opinion) I tend to dislike them because I don't think it's very respectful to gawk at the dead. And I figure if you couldn't see them when they were alive, you lost out. Ok, but that's just me and we all know I'm a weirdo. :sneaky:

I made sure my mom's service was closed. I had seen her die and that was one thing but to see her prepped and three days dead would have been beyond me to do. I also don't believe in embalming and if you have an open service here, the dead must be embalmed for sanitary and other obvious reasons.

I don't have any idea if most services are open or closed here...but all the services I've been to, they were all open.

I have a question for you too. Ok, actually I'll start a new thread for it.

kazalala;825936 wrote: My mum always says to me she wants to be cremated when she goes,, and she stresses that i must make sure she is cremated on her own and not with others so that we dont know whos ashes we have. I have often worried about and thought,, bloomin ek,, just HOW do i make sure??


Don't worry, the cremators are not big enough to put more than one coffin in.



Show her my previous post, it should set her mind at rest.

Imladris;826218 wrote: Don't worry, the cremators are not big enough to put more than one coffin in.



Show her my previous post, it should set her mind at rest.


Yea but do they make sure they keep the ashes seperate,, if they maybe do a few cremations one after the other?

kazalala;826222 wrote: Yea but do they make sure they keep the ashes seperate,, if they maybe do a few cremations one after the other?


Yes, always. The come out of the cremator in a tray, into another machine and then they are bagged and labled and put into a temporary urn.



If you're at all worried speak to your local crematorium and they can put your mind at rest.

Imladris;826233 wrote: Yes, always. The come out of the cremator in a tray, into another machine and then they are bagged and labled and put into a temporary urn.



If you're at all worried speak to your local crematorium and they can put your mind at rest.


Ok Thanks:D