An Indiana woman says she was left disgusted and deeply saddened after the company she hired to take care of her husband's remains mishandled them.
Work originally brought the couple together. And years later, their love was still as strong as ever.
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WATCH HERE“We met working for the postal service,” said Darla Smith of Munster.
Years later, their love was still strong as ever.
Then Aug. 4, 2024 happened. Darla's husband, Darryl Smith, suddenly died.
Darla said she signed a contract with Crown Cremation Services in Crown Point, who told her it would take 5 to 7 days to have her husband cremated.
“I first called shortly after the five days,” Darla said.
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She said she later learned her husband’s body had been transported to Illinois for cremation by a subcontractor, Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights.
Darla said Darryl was not cremated until 19 days after his death. She also says she doesn’t know if the remains she was given are her husbands.
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SIGN UP “The delay happened when he got to Heights Cremation. That's what I was told. That's where the delay was,” she said.
Now, Darla has filed a civil lawsuit against both companies.
According to the lawsuit, Darryl’s body was one of than 100 other corpses improperly stored by Heights Cremation.
The Illinois Comptroller’s Office regulates crematories. The office says a tip in February led to an investigation.
“We had bodies that were piled on top of other bodies with limbs exposed, faces exposed. Some of them were stacked in coolers, some of them, some of those coolers were operational, but not all of them, some of them were not,” Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. “I don't know how to say it other than it was disgusting and absolutely horrifying to think that any human being and someone's loved one would have been treated with such disrespect by this crematory. We immediately ordered them to stop accepting new cases."
Mendoza’s office has suspended the Height’s business license and is in the process of having it revoked.
“I want answers as to where he was for those 19 days. And if these [remains] are him,” she said.
Darla Smith’s attorney tells us since filing the lawsuit on Tuesday, he’s received calls from more than 60 other families concerned about what may have happened to their loved ones.
NBC Chicago's messages to Heights Crematory were not answered.
Crown Cremation said it has no comment.
