HARTLAND TWP., Mich. (WXYZ) — A Fenton woman who thought her mother's ashes were lost forever in a chemical spill has them back after an investigation revealed they were safely delivered by the United States Postal Service.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
Joan Gray lost her mother, Sandra Chatterson, to a stroke on January 28. It took Gray weeks before she could bring herself to put on a memorial and share her mother's ashes with family.
"I gave all of her grandchildren urns with some of her ashes in it as a memory," Gray said.
On February 26, Gray went to a Hartland Township post office and sent one small urn to her nephew in Colorado using priority shipping.
Weeks went by, and when Gray tried tracking her package, she received a message stating tracking was not available. She called United States Postal Service customer service and says she received the devastating news over the phone.
"She said, ' Oh, your package was involved in a chemical spill, and it was marked undeliverable and do not accept, and I said, ' But this is my mother’s ashes," Gray said.
A chemical spill did occur at a FedEx facility in Memphis, Tennessee, on Feb. 25. Gray said customer service told her the package was affected.
"I will try to locate it for you, but at this point, it could already be disposed of," Gray reiterated what the customer service representative told her. "I was crying, I was devastated, I said, so you’re telling me my mother could wind up in a landfill somewhere?" Gray said.
7 News Detroit reached out to USPS to see where the package was and if there was any way to salvage the remains. Minutes after our interview with Gray, officials responded.
Their statement is below:
Thank you for reaching out regarding a package containing cremated remains. We sincerely understand the sensitivity and importance of this matter. The package was shipped from Hartland, Michigan, and, although initially scheduled for delivery on March 2, it experienced a delay. We can confirm our scanning process shows the package was safely delivered to its PO Box destination in Wiggins, Colorado, on March 24. We are waiting for the customer to verify and pick up the package. USPS is committed to the safe and respectful handling of all mail, especially sensitive items such as cremated remains. We regret the delay and any inconvenience experienced and appreciate our customer’s patience.
When we shared the news with Gray right after our interview, she was relieved.
"Oh, it makes me feel so happy beyond belief," Gray said through tears. "To know that she’s not in a landfill somewhere."
We are still investigating why customer service told Gray she would not receive the package due to the chemical spill.
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