Lawsuits are mounting for a Carlinville funeral home after families were given the wrong remains.
WICS Newschannel 20 says that at least 80 families throughout Central Illinois have filed suit in more than a dozen lawsuits against Heinz Funeral Home and Family Care Cremations. The suits name funeral directors Albert Augustus Heinz and Jon C. Heinz as some of the principles in the suits.
There are nearly three dozen counts in each of the suits; ranging from negligence, violation of state law, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and interference of right to possession. Families are seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages in most cases.
These lawsuits represent the families of 14 deceased individuals, a fraction of the nearly 80 people who had their ashes allegedly misplaced.
Four of the families in the lawsuit say they had the wrong cremains placed at the Camp Butler National Cemetery, which is home to United State Veterans.
At the time the individual lawsuits were filed, six out of 14 people still haven’t had their ashes returned to their family. The lawsuits also detail how families found out they had received the wrong human remains.
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon told WICS that another family contacted his office a few weeks ago about recei
Macoupin County State’s Attorney Jordan Garrison told WICS that the Illinois State Police’s criminal investigation is ongoing. Garrison says he can’t use the new state laws that outlaw the negligent practices that occurred in these cases, but would have to use pre-existing law to bring about criminal prosecution in these cases.