JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man is demanding answers after he says a cemetery in Augusta, Georgia lost his infant daughter's remains.
Kamaron Hickman was stationed in Germany with his family when the couple's child Jada died in her sleep in 2001.
Shortly after, they were re-located to Georgia and buried the 6-month-old girl at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
Fast forward to 2023, and the parents decided to have her exhumed and cremated since they no longer live in the state.
After digging up the plot, a groundskeeper told the family it wouldn't be possible because they couldn't find her. Later, they were told in an email her remains were lost “due to the passage of time.”
"It just kind of ripped the scab off everything, all over again," Hickman said. "I'm stuck in between complete just frustration, devastation. On the other side of that is a whole lot of anger because it took a long time for us to kind of process this."
Hickman said adding to insult, they offered to send dirt from her grave. He believes she was buried in the wrong spot.
"It's very painful to lose a child once it's one thing, but to lose her again, it's unmentionable. You can't even fathom that," Hickman said.
Dignity Memorial owns the cemetery and sent First Coast News the following statement:
"We have an obligation of privacy to the families we are honored to serve and, as result, we are unable to discuss this matter with the media. While we did not acquire the cemetery until 2006, we have been and remain committed to working closely with the family to find a resolution.”
Hickman said they don't want anyone else to go through this.
"We will not rest until something is done, and this company is held accountable for what they've done," Hickman said.
Hickman said lots of attorneys have reached out eager to take on the case, but the family is waiting until they get the facts from the cemetery and the funeral home before taking legal action.
