Heartbroken family claims a Queens funeral home cremated their mother's body against her wishes

A heartbroken family is sounding off after they say their matriarch's remains were cremated by a Queens funeral home against her wishes.

Christine Weever claims the body of her mother, 93-year-old Euvy Agnes Rodney, was cremated by the J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home in St. Albans. 

"There's no excuse"

"We have lost our mom twice. We have lost her in death. We have lost her body," Weever said.

Attorneys for Rodney's family provided a copy of the death certificate, which indicates plans for burial at a church in Guyana.

"A tragedy that will now haunt them for the rest of their lives, because they weren't able to honor their mother's wish of bringing her home to Guyana," attorney John Eleftrakis said.

"The very church and cemetery where Euvy Agnes Rodney wanted to be laid to rest next to her family is on the death certificate. There's no excuse," attorney Wayne Wattley said. 

"They failed"

Rodney's daughter said she entrusted her mother to the funeral home after she died on July 8, but realized a week later that something was wrong.

"I visited the funeral home and asked to see my mom. I was told that she was not dressed and I was not allowed to see her," Ramona Rodney Park said.

"They failed. They didn't communicate with the family even after, so we are calling for this funeral home to be shut down immediately," the Rev. Kevin McCall said. 

Funeral home responds

The J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home responded with a statement.

"Our hearts are with the family affected by this situation. We are deeply sorry for the distress this has caused, and are committed to supporting them with care, compassion, and respect during this incredibly difficult time.

"For generations, J. Foster Phillips has been a trusted, family-owned funeral home, serving our community for 97 years with care and compassion. As a third-generation business, we have always been committed to treating every individual with dignity, respect, and the highest standard of care.

"We remain committed to accountability and to honoring the trust placed in us by the families we serve.

"Out of respect for those involved, we will not be providing further comment at this time."

"Purported remains"

The family was able to obtain ashes from the All Souls Crematory on Monday, but that raised more questions than answers. A woman at All Souls told CBS News New York she didn't think it would be appropriate to comment, out of respect to the family.

"We refer to them as the purported remains, because there is no way at this point to confirm that this is the remains," Eleftrakis said.

"Our mother was so much more than this tragedy," Rodney Park said.

The family is planning a celebration of life in Queens on Friday. They plan to eventually bring her cremated remains back to Guyana to fulfill her wish to return home.