Last year, David Allen passed away in an Adelaide nursing home, expressing his last wish to be cremated and have his ashes scattered in the ocean next to those of his wife. To honour his request, the Allen family ordered a unique bullet-shaped urn from the United States to hold their father’s ashes. However, when they visited the funeral home to collect them, they were informed that the ashes had already been picked up.
David’s son, Michael, and his fiancée, Gail, were the only individuals authorised to retrieve the ashes. The funeral home records claimed Michael collected the ashes on October 23rd, but he was at home isolating due to COVID-19 on that date and the urn had not yet arrived. Feeling insulted by the implication that he had taken the ashes, Michael pointed out discrepancies in the funeral home’s account, including a signature they alleged was his but which he disputed.
When Michael requested the funeral home’s CCTV footage to verify events, he was informed that the footage was no longer accessible. Sensible Funerals, the funeral home in question, ultimately reported the incident to the police, stating they had done everything according to their internal protocols.
In a statement to the media, a spokesperson for the funeral home maintained that the ashes were collected by Michael, suggesting that he might have forgotten the incident due to his grief. They conveyed their commitment to families and expressed their desire for David Allen’s ashes to be reunited with his family. However, Michael remains distraught, seeking answers about his father’s ashes for closure.
The funeral home defended its record-keeping and procedures, claiming no errors had been made on their part. They emphasised that had someone other than Michael attempted to collect the ashes, they would have required proper identification and notified Michael of the situation. They admitted the situation was perplexing but maintained that the ashes could not have been misplaced or lost.
As of now, a police report has been filed, and the funeral home has expressed willingness to cooperate with any investigations. Meanwhile, Michael continues to grapple with the sadness of not knowing the whereabouts of his father’s ashes, hoping to find some form of closure for himself and his family.