JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family who filed a complaint against Marion Graham Mortuaries said investigators found the body of their loved one inside the funeral home four months after she was supposed to be cremated.
This comes as the Department of Financial Service's Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services Division issued an arrest warrant for the funeral home's director, Elliot Maurice Graham.
Ola Mae Brown Jackson's family spoke with reporters Thursday, just 24 hours after state investigators told them her body was found.
"We never imagined this," Paula Wright, Jackson's sister-in-law, said.
Jackson passed away after a battle with cancer in September 2023. Her family remembers her as a loving mother, aunt, and wife. They used Marion Graham Mortuaries for the wake and cremation.
"Everything went as you would expect it to go. Paula and her sister had everything laid out. It was just perfect and it was pleasant," Renell Manns, Jackson's niece, explained.
Months went by, and the family said they still had not received her remains. Her husband decided to go down to the funeral home off Gandy Street on Jan. 14 to confront the funeral director, Elliot Graham. He said Graham made him wait outside for 45 minutes before bringing out what he claimed were Jackson's remains. Something did not feel right, so the family decided to file complaints with the Department of Financial Service's Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services Division.
The complaint was filed a few days later and an investigation was opened. Law enforcement with the Department of Financial Service's Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services Division obtained a warrant to search the funeral home on Jan. 31st. They found three bodies during their search. One of those bodies was Jackson's.
"It’s just not fair, it was hurtful. We now have to go through the grieving process again," Manns explained.
A warrant is also out for Graham's arrest, but investigators have not been able to find him. He is being charged with one felony count of Grand Theft and one count of Improper Preservation of a Human Body.
Jackson's family is now asking for prayers from the community to help heal. They also want other families who might have experienced something similar to come forward.
"We're sad again, we're grieving again. But we have to bond together. This is a great opportunity for our community to come together...even in this darkness," Wright said.
The Marion Graham Mortuary remains an active crime scene. Those who obtained Pre-Need Funeral contracts through Marion Graham Mortuaries can file a claim with the Pre-need Funeral Contract Consumer Protection Trust Fund (CPTF). The CPTF is a trust created under section 497.456, Florida Statutes, to assist consumers who have paid for preneed contracts when the preneed seller subsequently will not or cannot fulfill the preneed contract
For more information, click here.