(KRON) — Lawyers have initiated a legal case in Alameda County against funeral service operators in the East Bay following allegations that the cremated remains of two women were mistakenly swapped and returned to incorrect families.
The lawsuit was initiated on July 21 representing the parents of Alaina Corona, Denisse Chavez, and Adrian Corona, and targets three service providers: Holy Sepulchre Cemetery and Funeral Center in Hayward, Roman Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Oakland, and Irvington Memorial Cemetery in Fremont.
Negligent mistakes caused Corona’s family members to suffer emotional distress, the lawsuit claims.
“This is every grieving parent’s worst scenario and it was completely avoidable,” stated Domenic Martini, an attorney from the Singleton Schreiber law firm. “Holy Sepulchre and its associated entities ignored the family’s specific wishes and then attempted to hide their mistake instead of dealing with the horrific reality: they provided the wrong remains to a family and interred them incorrectly.”
Alaina Corona died on November 18, 2024. Ayelli Reyes died the previous day, on November 17, 2024.
Alaina’s parents told Holy Sepulchre and the Diocese that they did not want her to be cremated. However, “Holy Sepulchre sent the wrong remains — Alaina’s remains — to Defendant Irvington Memorial for cremation with Ayelli’s cremation documents,” the lawsuit states.
The suit continues, “Irvington Memorial then mislabeled Alaina’s ashes as Ayelli’s, and Defendant Holy Sepulchre placed Alaina’s ashes in the urn purchased for Ayelli’s ashes. On December 6, Defendant Holy Sepulchre gave Alaina’s ashes to the wrong person: Ayelli’s mother.”
On December 11, 2024, two employees at Holy Sepulchre went to the refrigeration area to prepare Alaina’s remains for her funeral. That’s when they realised her body was missing, the lawsuit claims.
Holy Sepulchre then decided to cremate Ayelli’s remains in its in-house crematory and gave the ashes to Alaina’s family, according to attorneys.
The lawsuit further alleges that Holy Sepulchre went to great lengths to cover up their morbid mistake.
“Holy Sepulchre allegedly discovered the mistake just before Alaina’s scheduled funeral, but continued with the service, misleading the family into believing they were burying their daughter’s ashes. It wasn’t until months later, after a viral TikTok video posted by Ms. Chavez, that a former employee and the other family confirmed the truth about the mix-up of ashes,” the law firm wrote.
Martini said, “Families turn to these institutions in their darkest hour. This is not just negligence, it’s a profound violation of trust, dignity, and basic human decency. What happened here is indefensible.”
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages through a jury trial.
Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services sent a statement to KRON4, writing, “We extend our prayers and condolences to the family. We take very seriously the sacred trust families bestow on us. We hold our staff to the highest standards. When mistakes are made, we work immediately to inform the family and to rectify the situation as much as possible. We do not discuss details of any family’s situation in a public forum.”
KRON4 reached out to Irvington Memorial Cemetery for comment Friday.
