JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville woman said she was left heartbroken after the United States Postal Service (USPS) never delivered her mother’s ashes to her home. Now she wants answers and closure.
The ashes of Marilyn Bing’s mother were shipped in a large box in November and tracked to Jacksonville, but now they’ve been lost for seven weeks.
Bing is still grieving a mother she loved dearly.
A video taken of Dorothy Powell on her 90th birthday showed her full of energy and fun. The following year, in 2023, she passed away.
The family planned to keep her ashes in little lockets to keep her memory alive, but now that may never happen.
“They lost it,” Bing said. “I never received it, when I never did receive it I went to the post office and talked to the manager there.”
Bing went to the distribution center on Commonwealth Avenue where she said the staff tried to find the box.
A receipt showed the ashes were shipped from Illinois to Florida and was supposed to arrive at her home on Nov. 27. A tracking log showed the box was scanned in Jacksonville, but it was never delivered.
“After that, there is no record of what happened to my mother’s box, the ashes and stuff,” Bing said, getting emotional. “I burst into tears. My daughters are crying my grandkids are crying.”
Bing said USPS tried to help but couldn’t, so News4JAX called and emailed to help look for answers.
News4JAX asked for a manager at the Jacksonville Distribution Post Office but no one responded, and News4JAX also emailed the USPS media contacts, but they did not immediately respond.
Bing remains baffled by how such a large 17x11x13-inch package could get lost. The thought of never seeing her mother’s ashes is painful.
“I can’t believe they lost her ashes. They lost a whole box. How do lose a whole box that weighs 17 pounds?” she said.
At this point, the package could be anywhere, and Bing is hopeful that someone will find her mother’s remains.
Bing was told to put in a claim but said that isn’t enough.
“How do you put a price on your people’s ashes? Do they actually think that money is going to compensate me?” Bing said.
For now, Bing will wait and pray that one day she can be reunited with her mother’s ashes.
Despite her mother’s ashes being lost, Bing said she believes people should still use the postal service.
When a package is lost you can file a claim and the location of your package can be researched. However, in this case, there’s no timeframe for how long it could take to figure out what happened.