Woman furious, horrified of how father’s cremated remains were buried

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - Karen Daniels’ father died in 2018 at the age of 80. His wishes were that he be cremated and laid to rest near his other daughter, Rhonda, who died in 2012.

Daniels did her best to honor those wishes, but she was furious when she discovered her father’s bag of ashes was simply placed on the ground and a marker was placed on top.

Her understanding was her father, Kenneth, would be encased in an urn or respectable container.

“All they did was took his ashes out and laid him on the ground and put this on top. That’s all they did,” Daniels said. “This is not what we signed up for. This is not what we paid for.”

Daniels made the discovery about her father’s ashes when she went to check on the gravesite at Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery in the Kansas City area. The family was told a mower ran over it and cracked a nameplate.

Daniels could flip the marker up and see inside.

“I could touch him!” she said. “I tried to pull him out. All they did was take the bag out and put him in there.”

Daniels was so angry that she had the ashes removed and is keeping them in her home for the time being.

“He took great pride in his family,” Daniels said as she showed pictures of her father.

Kenneth, or Kenny, worked at the Claycomo Ford Plant and loved sports. He lived a good life, Daniels said, and deserved much better than the treatment he received.

KCTV5 connected with an independent funeral home as part of their research. They were surprised to hear about Daniels’ situation and said it wasn’t standard practice, but there are no rules regarding cremation burials in Missouri.

KCTV5 also connected with a nationwide expert who said it’s important to review cemetery policies so families have a clear understanding of how the remains will be handled.

KCTV5 reached out to management at the cemetery. The manager declined an on-camera interview, but relayed that the cemetery has changed ownership since Kenneth died and was laid to rest.

The manager said they aren’t sure what happened in the past, but said they are working with Daniels.

She wants him returned and laid to rest in the cemetery.

“He’s going to go into another container, and that will be sealed and waterproofed,” Daniels said.

She told KCTV5 she will be present to make sure her father is laid to rest with dignity.

Copyright 2024 KCTV5 via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.