Pet Cremation Scandal Could Prompt New PA Law

HARRISBURG, PA —A Pittsburgh funeral home owner allegedly took money from people to

cremate their deceased pets, instead dumped the pets' bodies in local landfills and returned the ashes of unknown animals to the animal owners.

A group of state lawmakers wants to ensure there's no repeat of that kind of fraud. They are sponsoring legislation that establishes safeguards to ensure that pet remains are handled in the proper manner.

"The legislation create accountability and transparency in Pennsylvania’s pet cremation industry, to ensure that no family ever has to question what happened to their beloved pet," said Democratic Sen. Nick Pisciottano, the legislation's primary sponsor. "They deserve better, and this bill is about making sure the law finally reflects that."

The legislation came was introduced after Patrick Vereb, the owner of Vereb Funeral Homes and Eternity Pet Memorial in Hazelwood and Harrison, allegedly stole more than $650,000 from customers who paid for cremations, burials, returns of ashes and other animal-related services but never received them.

Instead, the animal remains provided by more than than 6,500 victims from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, and Westmoreland counties in Western Pennsylvania were dumped in area landfills.

The bill mandates that cremation providers (the entity actually performing the cremation) furnish and publicly post a written description of all cremation service types: private, individual-partitioned, and communal.

It also requires an intermediary (anyone else involved in the business of cremation) to disclose whether their business will conduct the cremation or contract with a cremation provider.

The creamation provider:

• Will be asked to furnish a written description of all cremation service types they offer to inform consumers.
• Will certify that returned remains belong to the correct animal.
• Will document the type of cremation (individual, partitioned, or communal)
• Will provide a certificate to an intermediary and consumer, which includes the date of when the cremation was performed.
• Would have to refrigerate remains within 48 hours of receiving the remains.
• Will maintain record of cremation for a period of three years. This includes the date of the cremation, the method and the name of the entity that performed the cremation.
• Will ensure that a holding facility used to retain the remains of deceased complies with applicable Federal and state health laws.