SHARE

'Where's My Dad?' Father's Ashes Lost By NY Cops After House Fire, Daughter Claims

A New York woman claims that police lost her late father’s ashes while investigating a house fire.

Rensselaer County resident Jennifer Brunson, of Brunswick, claims that Troy Police evidence technicians took a vial of Thurman McAffry's ashes to test for drugs after a fire destroyed her sister’s home on 5th Avenue Saturday, Jan. 4.

Brunson immediately raised concerns, fearing her dad's remains would be discarded once they tested negative. Police assured her there was a process in place, but after testing, she said she was told no one had asked for the remains back.

“They have no paperwork pertaining to a search and seizure of my father’s ashes,” Brunson told Daily Voice.

After pressing for answers and posting her story on the Troy Community Facebook page, Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello reached out to Brunson directly. Her response left the distraught daughter unsatisfied.

"After that she had the fire chief call me to explain how dark it was inside the house and how much smoke there was and most likely [the urn] just got knocked over and broken and mixed into the debris so there would be nothing left and that’s just what happens in a fire," Brunson recalled.

Jennifer Brunson

The City of Troy vehemently denied Brunson's allegations, saying the urn was empty when firefighters spotted it in the charred debris. An evidence technician then conducted a rapid strip test on a powdery substance that was located on the outside of the vessel to determine whether it was a harmful narcotic, officials said.

"No firefighter, no police officer in the city of Troy removed or confiscated any ashes from their property," Alex Horton, communications director for Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello, told Daily Voice.

The Troy Police Department allowed Brunson to review body camera footage from the scene of the fire, but she claims it was heavily blurred and failed to show the ashes being tested. 

Horton, however, denied that the footage was blurred and said Brunson became irate, started screaming, and left the station after watching only 10 minutes of the 22-minute video.

"She was not removed from the police station, she left on her own accord," Horton said. "We feel for what they're going through. We extend those condolences to them."

Despite repeated assurances to the contrary, Brunson maintains that city leadership is engaged in a coverup.

"Everything that they have said has been nonsense,” Brunson said. “Clearly they don’t give a damn about your rights.”

"Where's my dad?" reads one of several Facebook posts documenting her battle with the city.

Brunson has demanded official documentation related to the seizure of her father’s remains. She is also considering legal action against the City of Troy.

Horton provided Daily Voice with the following joint statement from Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello, Police Chief Dan DeWolf, and Fire Chief Rich Cellucci:

“Ms. Brunson’s claims in her most recent interview outside of City Hall are unequivocally false and blatantly misleading to the public. Ms. Brunson’s family suffered a tragic housefire on the night of January 4th and during the events of that evening, according to the family, there were two large explosions heard from the second floor of Ms. Brunson’s property, which started the fire. All the families’ belongings on the second floor of their home were completely incinerated. When the vessel was discovered, it had been missing the top and bottom and was not containing any form of remains. The vessel was brought outside of the residence to be shown to the family so they could identify. It was at that point that the vessel had been identified by Ms. Brunson’s family as an urn that once held Ms. Brunson’s father’s ashes. The vessel was then placed near the entryway of Ms. Brunson’s home because it had been charred and damaged and not something anyone would like to hold with their bare hands. 

Mayor Mantello and Chief DeWolf granted Ms. Brunson the ability to come to the police station to view body camera footage, which she accepted. Ms. Brunson watched less than half of the total footage before she left on her own accord. Ms. Brunson’s claims that she was forced out of the police station are also untrue.

It is unfortunate that Ms. Brunson has decided to mislead everyone about the events of that evening, but we want to make clear that no police officer or firefighter removed or confiscated any remains from Ms. Brunson’s property. We have all put hours of time and effort into trying to help Ms. Brunson since being made aware of the issue. This is the result of a tragic house fire and nothing more. 

The investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing. We express our heartfelt condolences to Ms. Brunson and her family during this difficult time. The Mayor’s Office, Police Department, and Fire Department remain committed to serving the people of the City of Troy.”

to follow Daily Voice Pelham and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE