A family from Southern California recently encountered an unsettling surprise when they discovered what seemed to be the ashes of an unknown individual inside a small urn ordered from Amazon. This unexpected find has left them not only shaken but also determined to reunite the remains with the rightful family.
Faced with this unusual scenario, they quickly reached out for assistance, hoping that the involved companies could facilitate the urn’s return. Unfortunately, as of now, their efforts have yet to yield results.
Mark Culbertson recounted the circumstances leading up to this discovery. Following the passing of his grandfather last year, his family purchased several urns to honor his memory. After a period of mourning, Culbertson’s grandmother was ready to distribute the urns, each intended to hold her late husband’s ashes for family members.
To their surprise, upon inspection, one of these urns was not empty like the others. “This one has an ashy substance in it, and we did a little more research. They look like ashes,” Culbertson revealed to Nexstar’s KTLA, describing the moment they realized the unusual contents.
“This one has an ashy substance in it and we did a little more research. They look like ashes,” he said.
Culbertson contacted Amazon right after the family made the discovery, but said the response he got from the e-commerce site was frustrating, alleging they were too casual.
“It’s like I’m talking to them, like, ‘Hey, I got shoes. They looked like they were scuffed. I need to return these,’” he said.
Amazon, according to Culbertson, offered him an apology and a refund credit of $19.99. When he pushed back, he said the customer representative told him that because the order was placed about a year ago, there was not much else they could do.
Not willing to take no for an answer, Culbertson contacted KTLA in the hopes of reuniting the apparent ashes with their rightful owner.
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An Inland Empire family was shocked to discover what appears to be the ashes of another person inside an urn they bought through Amazon. (KTLA) -
An Inland Empire family was shocked to discover what appears to be the ashes of another person inside an urn they bought through Amazon. (KTLA) -
An Inland Empire family was shocked to discover what appears to be the ashes of another person inside an urn they bought through Amazon. (KTLA)
“I’m willing to take the time and energy and give this person the dignity they deserve,” Culbertson said.
A representative for Amazon’s executive customer relations eventually got back to Culbertson, suggesting he bring the ashes to a funeral home of his choosing, after which Amazon would reimburse him for any expenses or fees. Still, Culbertson feels he’d rather see them returned to anyone who might be missing them.
“It almost feels like you’re just dropping something off never to see it again and it’s no longer your problem, dust your hands of it,” Culbertson said of bringing the ashes to a funeral home. “That doesn’t sit right with me.”
An Amazon representative told Culbertson that they are in touch with Truepoint Memorials, the third-party retailer that sold him the urn. Culbertson said he just wants to get this resolved so that he and his family can also find closure.
“I just want [the deceased] to be back with their loved ones and be taken care of the way they want to be taken care of,” he said.
KTLA has reached out to both Amazon and Truepoint Memorials for comment, but did not immediately hear back.