DETROIT (AP) — Some relatives of people whose cremated remains were found among nearly 300 others in a Detroit funeral home say they would have loved to bury them in marked graves but couldn’t afford traditional funeral services.
They’re among the many poor families in the U.S. who have been priced out of funerals and burials. Their stories help explain how two Detroit funeral homes now under scrutiny may have ended up having so many remains and why the families didn’t notice.
People who can’t afford funeral and burial services are left with the cheapest option: cremating their loved one’s remains and leaving it to a funeral home to dispose of them. Others may simply abandon relatives’ remains altogether, leaving it to coroners and funeral homes to pay for cremation and disposal.
