"How do you do that with remains? This is like the worst nightmare a person can go through," the grieving father said.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 8, 2022. It has since been updated.
Jeffrey Merriweather, of Fulton County, Georgia discovered his 32-year-old son's body partially decomposed weeks after a suspected shooting in 2019. He never learned the reason for his son's death, and the distraught father is now seeking restitution after the man's remains were inexplicably lost in the mail and never recovered, according to PEOPLE.
A part of Jeffrey Merriweather Jr.'s remains somehow got lost while being shipped from the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office to a specialized facility to determine a cause of death. It has been three years since the incident and his family is looking to take legal action in hopes of holding someone accountable for the disappearance of their loved one's body.
"I just want someone to be held liable for this," Jeffrey Merriweather Sr. said. "I have his two kids too, and there's no closure for us. I just don't understand how certain laws protect people from things like this."
“This has been for us like something out of a horror movie,” he added. "Is my son's murder ever going to be solved," asked mother, Kathleen Merriweather. "Are we ever going to lay his body to rest?"
Parents want Medical Examiners Office held responsible for missing son’s remains – WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta What a sad story😰🙏🏾
— Luradine Timberlake (@LuradineT) April 6, 2022
Dear Lord, please comfort all who are grieving for Jeffrey Merriweather Jr today. We thank You for Your promises to be near https://t.co/mKNmIObF0d
"Our thoughts and concerns remain with the family of Mr. Merriweather, however, we request that further questions be directed to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office," a FedEx person shared.
“Then to now you lose his remains. This is...naw man,” Merriweather said in disgust.
According to a report from WSB-TV, a FedEx spokesperson previously stated that the shipment arrived at the mail carrier's Austell location but it couldn't be traced further. “I don’t know how this could have happened when you got to sign for stuff. You got tracking numbers,” Merriweather pointed out.
Meanwhile, Merriweather Sr. said his family has not received follow-up messages or cooperation from either FedEx or the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, which reportedly told Fox 5 Atlanta it was reaching out to its investigative team to look into the confusion.
Unfortunately, this is not enough for Merriweather Jr.'s family, as they strongly believe those efforts are too little, too late. Merriweather Sr. said he'd like to see legislation enacted to ensure no one else has to suffer like his family.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said they shipped, via FedEx, Jeffrey Merriweather Jr.'s remains to a lab in St. Louis, Missouri. But the remains never made it. https://t.co/YCuJRNJfQt
— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) August 29, 2019
“You never reached out you never said anything,” he said, directing his anger at FedEx.
"This is a lot of negligence on the part of FedEx, who had the remains at their location, and then all of a sudden, lose it?" Merriweather Sr. said. "How do you do that with remains? This is like the worst nightmare a person can go through."
“I think somebody should be held accountable for this. This is something you just don’t sweep under the carpet,” he said.
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Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | caughtinthe
