Debbie Uraga and her family are suing the Mount Olivet Cemetery and the John F. Pfleger Funeral Home. Per News 12, Uraga would frequently visit the grave of who she believed to be her father, George Jonas. "I'd go see him on Father's Day and his birthday - and even the VFW, because he was a vet, they would put the flag on the grave. It's like we all thought he was there," Uraga told the news outlet.
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However, Uraga received a horrifying surprise in June. A man representing an organization that went to funeral homes to retrieve unclaimed veterans' remains to bury them properly reached out to her. He informed Uraga that Jonas' remains were in a box in the basement of the John F. Pfleger Funeral Home. The grave, reportedly, was empty.
"It hurts a lot," Uraga recounted. "I thought he was there and it's like it's just unbelievable. My father should be in the cemetery with the rest of his family." Uraga is suing the cemetery and funeral home in hopes of receiving justice for her father -- as well as ensuring that no other family should have to suffer as Uraga's has.
Michael Shaw, Uraga's attorney, offered further comments. "It's reprehensible conduct. There was a complete breakdown of internal procedures for chain of custody that is to prevent these exact types of incidents from occurring."
A Woman Sues Cemetary And Funeral Home For Failing To Properly Bury Her Father
Speaking to WLOX, the owner of the funeral home has a different perspective on the situation. "The funeral home's owner says Jonas' cremation and services were handled with the utmost care, adding they tried to contact Uraga numerous times. They say that 'all attempts by our funeral home to seek final disposition instructions from the Jonas family next of kin remained unanswered until we attempted to provide an honorable burial of this man's cremated remains in our state's veteran cemetery,'" the outlet reports.
However, Uraga disputed those claims, saying, "That's false. Nobody ever contacted me." Uraga has been reunited with her father's remains, as well as his cremation certificate. "I am just glad that I am here to make sure now I'll get him where he should be to rest in peace," Uraga concludes.
