By admin 
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A man and his family want justice after they say their loved one was mistakenly cremated.
Read more Barbershop Buzz event in Garner focuses on fatherhood, mental health
Brodrick Bell lost his best friend and father, Walter Jones, on March 1. Jones died battling lung cancer among other health issues.
Bell remembers how his father wanted to be remembered.
“He would tell me little things like, ‘Hey, son. If I pass away, don’t cremate me. I want a burial. I want to be seen. You know me,’” Bell said.
Bell and his family decided to make traditional burial preparations at Regional Memorial Cremations and Funeral Services in Greensboro on March 2. He said he got a devastating call days later.
“A traditional burial, casket, vault, grave plot,” Bell said. “We scheduled all of that. We wrote it down on paper. We came to an agreement with a price just to be notified two days later that your dad has been cremated by accident by an employee.”
The family had a planned funeral service for their loved one on March 12. Bell said they continued the service despite not being able to fulfill his father’s wishes for an open casket.
Read more Wilson to host inaugural Black Author Expo celebrating local writers and literacy
“My dad was my world,” Bell said. “Everything revolved around him with me, and when they told me that, I just could not believe … that somebody would do this.”
Walter leaves behind a close-knit family, including his three sisters. His sisters shared in their disbelief and shock when they got the news.
His older sister, Shiela Jones, said his funeral service was disheartening.
“Imagine going into the church, no casket, no ashes, nothing,” Shiela said. “I am devastated, and I still am, and it hurts me right now.”
Bell made complaints to the North Carolina Board of Funeral Services. He is also taking legal measures. He hopes for accountability.
“I just want to know why somebody would be that heartless to perform something of that matter and act as if it never happened, and we just want justice,” Bell said.
Read more UNESCO adds West Bank site and Lebanese castles to World Heritage List despite Israeli objections