Maryland Family Finds Dead Woman's Ashes, Belongings Inside Halloween Casket

BALTIMORE, MD — A Baltimore family got more than they bargained for this Halloween when they purchased a casket to add to their holiday decorations and discovered it contained a dead woman's ashes and personal belongings.

Following the discovery, the family took to TikTok in hopes of finding the woman's family.

In the video, Brooke Wozniak shows several items in the casket belonging to Edith Crews, who died in January from complications of COVID-19. The items included a photo of Crews, her death certificate, a George Washington University Hospital patient bracelet, a photo of Crews and an envelope containing what appeared to be some of her ashes.

The video has since amassed more than 61,000 likes.

Wozniak told Fox 5 that she purchased the casket off Facebook Marketplace. After finding Crews' belongings, Wozniak made the TikTok video, hoping it would draw attention and help them locate Crews' family.

"Everyone was in shock. And we didn’t really know how to feel about it," Wozniak told Fox 5. "My first reaction was, we’ve got to find the family. We gotta find whoever the next of kin is or whoever knows her."

The woman's granddaughter did see the video and passed it on to her mother, Sabrina Jones.

Jones said the family rented the casket from Freeman Funeral Services in Clinton. Her mother wished to be cremated following the service.

It's unclear how the casket ended up on Facebook Marketplace; however, owner Glenda Freeman said Freeman Funeral Services sent multiple caskets to a scrap metal business for destruction.

"I mean I’m grateful that [the Wozniak family] kept it, and we do have it back," Jones told Fox 5. "I thank God for that."