Wife Puts Cremains in Pill Bottles

A Cleveland family says instead of their loved one's body being buried in a cemetery, his ashes wound up in pill bottles.

"I couldn't believe it when I found him on the floor dead. It was just unbelievable," Vicki Lamb says.

Before Lamb's brother, Mike Richeson died last month, he made his final wishes clear.

"He wanted to be buried beside his dad and mom," Lamb says.

But that didn't happen. What did happen to Mike Richeson's remains left his family burning mad. Lamb holds two presciption pill bottles in her hands. Those bottles contain some of the ashes of her brother.

Richeson's wife buried one bottle at the family plot at Sunset Memorial Gardens, along with a note telling her husband how much she loves him. She gave another bottle to a family member who she says asked for some of his cremains.

Lamb says she can't understand why anyone would put human cremains in a pill bottle.

"I'm trying to give Mike some respect that he deserves, some that's been taken away from him," Lamb says. "Every human deserves respect and more than a pill bottle or a couple of pill bottles or whatever else she's gave him out in."

Richeson's family made plans for him to be buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens, next to his father.

Richeson's wife says she was just doing what she could to protect her huband's wishes.

"This is not what I wanted to do," Donna Richeson says. "This is not what my husband wanted done."

Donna Richeson says she had no money, so she had no choice but to cremate. She says the Richeson family promised to pay for the funeral, but didn't and she couldn't afford one herself.

As for why she put the ashes in pill bottles, Richeson says she wanted to share what was left of him, and honor his wishes at the same time.

"That was the only thing that I had with a lid which was small enough to take and bury beside his father, which is what he wished for," Richeson says.

Sunset Memorial Gardens says they have rules against people digging up graves, and placing things in them. Cemetery rules require all remains to be properly contained and buried according to policy.

However, as next of kin, Richeson's wife did have the right to do cremate instead of burying her husband.

Attorney Chuck Fleischmann who says this story is an important lesson for everyone. He says everyone should put their end of life requests in writing, and in a will. Fleischmann says it is not a guarantee, especially in tough financial situations, but it's a start.

Richeson says, she wishes the situation never got to this point, but there is nothing she can do to bring him back. "I met him when I was 12-years-old. I'm 45 now. I've loved him all this time, and no matter what's said, and no matter what's done, I'll love him until the day I die."