Georgia Family Inconsolable as Son's Murdered Body Still 'Lost in the Mail' for 3 Years

A family in Georgia is still living a nightmare as the murdered body of their loved one remains "lost in the mail" after three years.

Jeffrey Merriweather, the father of Jeffrey Merriweather, Jr., who was killed in 2019, said that he and his wife and two children had been stuck in a scene out of a horror movie after his son's death. What made it worse was that Jeffrey Jr.'s body should have been shipped to the medical examiner a few weeks after it was discovered, but the FedEx cargo never arrived.

In an interview with People, the father said he wants someone to be accountable for Jeffrey Jr.'s missing body. The family said that they couldn't find any closure and could not understand how laws could protect some people in this situation.

Jeffrey said that "a lot of negligence" hinges on FedEx because it could keep track of the cargo, which should not have been "lost in the mail." Suddenly, however, the shipping company could no longer locate the body and still had no explanation as to what happened.

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Funeral Without Jeffrey Jr.'s Remains

In August 2019, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office shipped out Jeffery Jr.'s remains to St. Louis for further probing. Jeffrey Jr. was shot in his car months earlier, and his decomposing body was found in June that year.

Fulton County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Gorniak told WSB-TV Atlanta that they had to enlist the help of the medical examiner in St. Louis to determine how the son died. His body was "partially skeletonized," and they did not have the laboratory to conduct further examinations.

"From the tracking number, the last known location was Austell, Georgia," Gorniak said, but he was later made aware that the cargo never made it to St. Louis. At that time, FedEx said they had been coordinating with the medical examiner's office to resolve the issue.

The Merriweather family held a funeral for Jeffrey Jr. without his remains.

However, three years later, Jeffrey said that FedEx never reached out to them. The family has been advocating for laws that would penalize the loss of human remains so that no other family could experience their nightmare.

More Families Sue FedEx

Meanwhile, five families in Indianapolis plan to file a lawsuit against FedEx following the mass shooting in April 2021, killing eight workers. According to WRTV, the families intend to hold a press conference on Monday, April 11.

It comes after FedEx worker Cameroan Olson sued the company for post-traumatic stress disorder due to the mass shooting. Olson said that the company never showed any concern for his well-being after trying to save some of his co-workers and confronting the mass shooter. He also indicated his worries that FedEx might fire him from his job.

FedEx has not issued any comments on these latest legal issues as of press time.

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