After discovering that the person they had cremated was not their missing loved one and that she was still alive, a family in New York is furious.
On Thursday, April 17, Shanita Hopkins spoke about the struggle her family has faced since learning that the person they have been grieving for years is not dead.
Shanice Crews, Hopkins’ sister, had vanished from sight and communication on July 6, 2021. Crews had two kids and was 28 years old at the time.
Police informed Hopkins and her family in April 2024 that Crews’ remains had been discovered in February of that year.
According to an autopsy conducted at the time, Crews overdosed on drugs and had significant quantities of cocaine in her system.
Hopkins didn’t accept the circumstances surrounding Crew’s death, even though she hadn’t heard from her sister in years.
Hopkins told, “Reading the autopsy was traumatic.”
“It’s one thing to hear it, but then it’s another thing to actually read it, and then [to see] her name is attached to it.”
The family questioned whether Crews was accidentally drugged or whether she actually died from an overdose. She went on to say, “Your mind just goes crazy.”
The family could not see what they were informed were Crews’ remains because the body was so decayed. Rather, they arranged a memorial service for her and had the body burned.
Things took yet another distressing turn in November 2024.
Hopkins got a message out of the blue from a complete stranger. Crews received a fresh photo from the individual.
“Ma’am I’m concerned, your sister is not dead. She just volunteered at my event today,” The stranger commented included a picture.
Hopkins was led to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office after calling the police, and they reassured her that Crews’ dental records corresponded with the body they had cremated.
The family’s mental health suffered greatly as a result of the contradictory reports.
According to Hopkins, “We dealt with the ashes and stuff, we put them in necklaces and we mixed my mom with this stranger.”
She added, “You can’t take back the moments where the cop came and told us Shanice Crews has been found dead outside, like trash. You can’t take away them initial feelings … we can’t get that back. We can’t get them seven months back. We can’t get them tears back.”
According to Hopkins, the family is opting to hire a lawyer instead of accepting the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office’s offer to cover the cost of the burial and cremation.
She remarked, “I almost feel like they couldn’t find out who this was and they wanted to close a missing person’s case.”
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Hopkins stated that although their family “can’t force her to talk to us,” she did have a message for her sister regarding Crews.
“I love her. I’ve been angry for — I’m still angry, I don’t think I’m ever gonna get over the anger but I know how it feels to think that she was dead,” Hopkins remarked. “I just want her to know that whatever we had going on, it doesn’t even matter. I love her, that’s it. That’s all I would want her to know.”
“The Monroe County Office of the Medical Examiner uses industry standard scientific methods to identify remains of deceased individuals in a timely manner and make appropriate notifications to families. Due to restrictions on the disclosure of information contained in the records of the Office of the Medical Examiner, we are unable to comment on specific cases.”
