Families Unsure If They Have Correct Remains In Funeral Home Investigation
WEYMOUTH (CBS) - April Hopkins now wonders if these three urns really hold the ashes of her loved ones.
"I am not sure if any of them is this my son. I am not sure if this is my mother. I am not sure if this is my granddaughter," Hopkins said.
When each family member died, she entrusted them to this man Joseph O'donnell.
He ran O'Donnell and Mulry funeral home in Dorcester.
This week investigators found human remains in two storage lockers connected to O'Donnell. Twelve adult bodies were removed from a storage facility in Weymouth. Cremated remains of more than 40 people were found in a Somerville storage unit.
"It scares me to know if it's not them," Hopkins said.
O'Donnell's license lapsed in 2008.
Hopkins's three family members died within the past three years. She says the questions surrounding the handling of their remains have reopened the pain of their deaths.
"I feel like I am reliving all this over again," Hopkins said. "I trusted this man and what if he did me wrong by giving me someone else."
Another funeral home is helping to determine if the family has the correct remains.
O'Donnell is accused of taking money for funeral services and not delivering on the services. The district attorney is expected to file more charges in the case. O'Donnell remains in custody.
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