Family Says They Received the Wrong Body After Man Dies on Vacation: ‘Where Is My Father?’

A family in Canada is searching for the body of their loved one after they were sent the wrong remains in a casket, according to multiple outlets. 

Faraj Jarjour from Montreal died at the age of 68 while on vacation in Cuba with his daughter Miriam Jarjour, according to AP News, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) and Daily Guardian

Miriam told AP that she had been swimming with her father near Varadero, Cuba on March 22 when he had a sudden heart attack and died. His body was then covered and left on a beach chair for more than eight hours before authorities picked up his remains to take to Havana.

The family said they paid $10,000 Canadian ($7,300) to repatriate his body back to Canada plus an additional $15,000 ($10,900) for the funeral, per the outlets. However, they claim the remains in the casket that arrived from Cuba were not those of Faraj, but someone else.

A funeral home in Montreal, Canada showed the family a photo of the deceased man inside the casket who had a full head of hair, was covered in tattoos and appeared to be 20 years younger than Faraj, the outlets reported.

“We’re sad because my father died,” Faraj’s son Karam Jarjour told Daily Guardian. “But we’re more sad because my father is, we don’t know where.”

Miriam said that the stranger’s body was sent to his home country in Russia, and noted that her family has been emailing government officials to make contact with Cuban authorities and send her father’s body to Canada. To date, the family's efforts have come up short, however.

“I’m honestly destroyed,” she told AP. “Up until now, we have no answers... Where is my father?”

Global Affairs Canada told the CBC and Daily Guardian in a statement that it was "aware of the death of a Canadian citizen in Cuba” and shared "our thoughts are with the friends and family of the deceased in these difficult circumstances."

“Consular officials are engaged with Cuban authorities and in contact with the family to provide consular assistance,” it continued, adding that further information could not be disclosed due to “privacy reasons.”

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The Urgel Bourgie funeral home where Faraj’s funeral was set to take place has also been in contact with officials. Patrice Chavegros, the vice-president of marketing for the funeral home told CBC "That's what's unfortunate in all of this is you have two families. One in Montreal and one in another country who in both cases can't go through with their grieving processes.”

As for Miriam, she told AP that her family won’t give up until her father's remains are back in Canada with his loved ones. “What I want is someone to help me find my father,” she said.