Mom Says UPS Offered Her $135 Check After Losing Her Teenage Son’s Ashes

By Jovonne Ledet

An Atlanta mother says she’s devastated after UPS lost her 15-year-old son’s ashes, per WSB.

Deontray, the son of Tangenika Lee, died in 2020 of a fentanyl overdose. Lee said she shipped his ashes from a local UPS store to her sister, who makes customized cremation urns in Connecticut, last month.

However, the package never made it to her sister. It was set to arrive by January 10.

Lee said she shipped the ashes in a wooden box along with some gifts. The Atlanta mother noted that she told UPS store employees what was in the box.

When the ashes failed to arrive at their destination, Lee went back to the store to see what happened. She was accompanied by police.

“They went back into the store and they pulled cameras from January 8th, and they told me that the package had actually left their facility, there was nothing they could do about it,” Lee said. “I just lost it, started crying.”

According to Lee, the ashes were last tracked at a distribution center in Connecticut. She plans to go there herself to investigate what happened to her son’s remains.

“I cremated him so he could be right here with me, and travel and do things together,” Lee said. “And he ain’t here.”

UPS reportedly told the mother: “With the time constraints we had to investigate, we found the content of the package was declared by the customer as ‘clothes.’ UPS does not accept shipments of human remains. We extend our deepest sympathy to the family and our heartfelt thoughts are with them during this time. Unfortunately, the package was lost.”

Lee said UPS corporate sent her a $135 check to compensate her for her loss, but she doesn’t plan on cashing it.

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