Woman receives $135 compensation after UPS package containing son's remains goes missing

A woman in Hiram, Georgia has blamed UPS for losing a package containing her 15-year-old son's ashes, Live5News reported.

Tangenika Lee, who lost her teenage son, Deontray, from a fentanyl overdose in 2020, told the media outlet that she tried to ship his remains from a UPS store in Georgia to her sister in Connecticut, who was making a custom cremation urn. The mother said that she had included her son's boxed remains in a package along with some gifts. The package was mailed in early January and was expected to arrive by Jan 10.

However, the package never made it to its destination. Its last-known location was a UPS facility in Windsor, Connecticut, according to the tracking number shared by Lee in a Facebook post.

“If you ask me, it’s just like a repeating nightmare,” Lee told Live5News. “I cremated him because I had not seen him in seven whole years. So, I cremated him, so that he could be right here with me, and we could travel together and do things together – and he ain’t here.”

No sign of package

Lee told Live5News that she went back to the UPS store from where she had mailed her package and security footage showed that the package had left that location, so there was not much that could be done at that store. She also took her case to the police, but they were also unable to assist her.

Lee said she is now planning to go to Connecticut to see if she can trace her package.

In her Facebook post, Lee said UPS offered her $135 as compensation, but that she doesn't want it. UPS, in a statement emailed to USA TODAY, said that Lee had labeled her package "as containing clothing" and had been compensated accordingly.

"There was no additional insurance purchased for the package, and we reimbursed the estimated value of the clothing," said UPS.

USA TODAY could not immediately reach Lee for a comment on the matter.

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UPS does not accept human remains

UPS, in its statement, also said that while they do not "accept shipments of human remains," efforts are being made to locate the missing package.

"We extend our deepest sympathy to the family, and continue to make extensive efforts to locate the lost package, which was labeled as containing clothing," said UPS.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.