Overview
- The family says 93-year-old Euvy Agnes Rodney died on July 8 and was taken to J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home with a death certificate that directs burial in Guyana rather than cremation.
- Family members say they were denied a viewing at the funeral home and later learned the facility had cremated Rodney without the family’s consent.
- The family obtained ashes from All Souls Crematory on July 27–28 but their lawyers say there is currently no way to independently confirm the remains are Rodney’s.
- J. Foster Phillips issued a brief statement expressing sorrow and declined further comment while attorneys for the family have opened an investigation and say they may pursue a civil suit for emotional distress.
- Civil-rights leaders have demanded a state probe and industry officials noted standard funeral-industry chain-of-custody steps, such as wristbands or ankle identifiers, that would make this error unlikely and point to possible human error as the cause.