WARWICK, R.I. (WHDH) — A Rhode Island woman is not only dealing with the loss of her mom, but a mistake on the way to the funeral.
Lisa Kondvar received the wrong body after her mother died while on a family vacation in St. Maarten.
Then I was able to look at the face and I was like, ‘that's not mom,’” said Kondvar.
Kondvar said her family wasn't allowed to see the body at the funeral home in St. Maarten. Then the funeral home wanted $7,000 to release the body. After more than a week, a body was flown to New Jersey, where the mother lived.
Only after that did the family realize the wrong body had been sent to them.
They went ahead with a service, then sent the wrong body to the medical examiner. That body turned out to be that of a Canadian woman who had also died on St. Marteen. Her family cremated the body it received, not realizing there was a mix-up.
It’s unclear if the other family had Kondvar’s mother.
The St. Marteen prime minister said Friday the government will do a DNA analysis to identify the bodies.