“We have no closure for our mother,” said Christine Weever, one of the late Euvy Rodney’s 11 children
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NEED TO KNOW
- The family of a 93-year-old New York woman claimed she was mistakenly cremated by a funeral home in Queens, despite her final wishes to be buried in her native Guyana
- The family, along with their attorneys, is calling for a state investigation and the funeral home’s closure
- The funeral home said it is “deeply sorry” for the family’s distress
A New York woman’s family said she was mistakenly cremated at a funeral home — despite her wishes to have her body buried.
The family of 93-year-old Euvy Rodney claims that she was brought to the J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home in Queens, N.Y., after she died on July 8, according to ABC 7, CBS News and PIX11.
The family said they later learned that Rodney had been cremated, even though her personal wishes were to be buried in her home country of Guyana, per the outlets.
“We have lost our mom twice. We have lost her in death. We have lost her body,” Christine Weever, one of Rodney’s 11 children, said in a press conference held outside the funeral home on July 27.
“We have no closure for our mother,” Weever added.
Another one of Rodney’s daughters, Ramona Rodney Park, said she suspected something was wrong when she allegedly attempted to view her mother’s body a week after her death but was not permitted to see her.
“I visited the funeral home and asked to see my mom. I was told that she was not dressed and I was not allowed to see her,” Park said during the press conference.
Rev. Kevin McCall, a civil rights leader who organized the press conference, called for the immediate closure of the funeral home and state investigation into the incident.
“No funeral home should be called a funeral home if they don’t have dignity and they don’t have respect for a family — they robbed this family of that,” McCall told the press.
“We are calling on this funeral home to be shut down immediately. The state needs to investigate,” he added.
John Elefterakis, an attorney for the family who was also in attendance at the press conference, said the mistake is a “tragedy” that will “haunt [the family] for the rest of their lives.”
“Because they weren’t able to honor their mother’s wish of bringing her home to Guyana,” he added.
Wayne Wattley, another attorney for the family, added that Rodney’s wish to be buried was clearly stated on her death certificate — of which he said the funeral home had a copy.
“There’s no excuse,” Wattley said during the press conference.
Attorneys for the family did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home provided the following statement to CBS News: “Our hearts are with the family affected by this situation. We are deeply sorry for the distress this has caused, and are committed to supporting them with care, compassion, and respect during this incredibly difficult time.”
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“For generations, J. Foster Phillips has been a trusted, family-owned funeral home, serving our community for 97 years with care and compassion. As a third-generation business, we have always been committed to treating every individual with dignity, respect, and the highest standard of care.”
“We remain committed to accountability and to honoring the trust placed in us by the families we serve. Out of respect for those involved, we will not be providing further comment at this time,” the funeral home concluded, per the outlet.
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J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The family planned a celebration of life for the late family matriarch on July 31 and said they will ultimately bring Rodney’s remains back to Guyana to respect her final wishes as best they can, according to CBS News.
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