- Princess Evans’ relatives alleged they never received an urn containing Evans’ ashes from the Savory and Sons Funeral Home in Missouri following her funeral
- The family claimed they later saw the body of their loved one through the funeral home’s sliding glass door
- In a social media post, Savory and Sons said it is not accepting new cases until a review is completed following the allegations
A Missouri family alleged they saw their loved one’s decomposing body inside a funeral home that was supposed to cremate her.
In an interview with ABC affiliate KMBC, Cherie Kidd said her niece, Princess Evans, 34, a mother of nine children, died unexpectedly in March.
The aunt added that the family paid Savory and Sons Funeral Home in Kansas City $3,000 for the funeral and cremation.
Kidd alleged there were mistakes in Evans’ obituary, and that the owner of the funeral company, Frank Savory IV, arrived late to the service.
Three weeks after Evans’ funeral, the family said they never received their loved one’s ashes in an urn from Savory and Sons, KMBC reported. Kidd said she never received a response from the funeral home despite calling them.
Then last week, Kidd and her sister, Teara Mimms-Evans, arrived at the back parking lot of the funeral home. Through a sliding glass window, they claimed that they saw the uncovered and decomposing body of Princess along with other remains, the outlet reported.
“That is her, 100, [1% million] her,” Kidd told KMBC.
Kidd further told Fox affiliate WDAF what she allegedly saw at the funeral home.
“These bodies were in there with trash,” she claimed. “All around them. This is insane.”
“You couldn’t recognize her,” said Marquita Blaylock, Evans’ cousin, in the WDAF report. “You had to look at her hands or tattoo to realize who she was. That was very traumatizing for me.”
In a Friday, April 18, Facebook post, the funeral home’s owner, Frank Savory IV, addressed the allegations in the media about his business’s handling of remains.
“We extend our heartfelt sympathy to every family now experiencing renewed pain because of these reports,” Savory said in a statement. “For more than two decades, I have operated and supported this community with love and integrity, and nothing more pains me than the thought that any family now questions that commitment.”
Savory went on to say that the funeral home is cooperating with authorities, including the Kansas City Police Department — inviting them to inspect the facility. He said that his business is conducting an internal audit of its files from March 25 forward.
He also announced that an employee named in a complaint has been placed on administrative leave following the outcome of an investigation.
“We are suspending acceptance of new cases until the review is complete,” Savory said.
Police referred PEOPLE to the state’s Board of Embalmers & Funeral Directors, noting that they aren’t the investigating agency but had received reports of the “business being abandoned.”
In a Saturday, April 20, news release, shared with KMBC, the Missouri/Kansas Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association said that all its member funeral homes would provide, at no charge, cremations and burials for families’ loved ones who had been under the care of Savory and Sons.
“It was a sad story and brought tears to my eyes,” Angela Husband, the association’s president, said of the ordeal, according to KMBC.
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Evans’ body was picked up from Savory and Sons, according to the family and a crematorium, the outlet added.
PEOPLE contacted the board, Savory and Sons and Cherie Kidd for additional information on Wednesday, April 23.
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