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By Caresse Jackman
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Nashville, Tennessee (WSMV) – A family has come forward saying the former funeral director took their money and can’t say goodbye to his grandmother.
When Timothy O’Neal’s family make their way to his grandmother’s grave, the only reminder that she’s there is a little angel and a plastic cemetery vase. No gravestone.
“He has to do the right thing and let me mark the grave where my grandmother is buried,” O’Neal said.
This is Reid Van Ness, who is a former funeral director. O’Neal said the problem started with his obituary.
“He was wrong on the death certificate. The obituary contained the wrong names, ”O’Neal said.
Then there is his grandmother’s grave. O’Neal said his family raised nearly $ 10,000.00 to pay Van Ness for the funeral and grave.
O’Neal even signed an internment order and an authorization note, a form allowing her to be buried at the cemetery. But more than a year has passed and O’Neal still can’t officially hand over the plot to him.
“I gave a lot of money, and it’s not fair,” O’Neal said.
“They never paid! This boy never paid! Van Ness told News4.
Van Ness declined our repeated requests for an on-camera interview. Still, he told News 4 over the phone that the O’Neals paid him for the services and the burial. However, he said they did not pay for the land, which meant the owner of the land, James Turnbull, was never paid. Van Ness and Turnbull are longtime friends.
“We agreed on a prince, and he never came,” said Turnbull.
“He didn’t make the payments to me or to Mr. Turnbull for the space. If I were Mr. Turnbull, I would dig her ass up and put her on the ground, ”Van Ness said.
O’Neal said Turnbull and Van Ness told him everything was included.
“It makes me want to find him and do things to him that I can’t say on TV,” O’Neal said.
The Call 4 Action has previously investigated Reid Van Ness. He faces two federal lawsuits against him for failing to properly care for the dead bodies and sending them home to their families abroad until several months later.
“Considering the cases that have been filed against him regarding ongoing Hispanic families, that doesn’t surprise me at all,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal wants to see a gravestone at his grandmother’s grave and have Van Ness and Turnbull answer his calls.
“For him to say it wasn’t paid if it wasn’t paid, she shouldn’t be buried here.” The money is paid. She’s buried, so I have to mark the grave! O’Neal said.
The state is still investigating O’Neal and others’ complaint against Mr. Van Ness.
Mr. Van Ness previously worked as a funeral director and embalmer. He surrendered his license in March of last year.
Consumer experts tell News4 that in a situation like this, never pay cash. Instead, get receipts on everything and document the situation every step of the way. Preferably, see if you can sign a contract. Do whatever you need to do to make sure there is a paper trail.
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