A Georgia medical examiner shipped Jeffrey Merriweather’s skeletal remains via FedEx to a lab in St. Louis. Three years later, the whereabouts of his remains are still unknown.
It all started in June 2019, when a homeowner reportedly found 32-year-old Merriweather’s body behind a house, partially obscured by a deflated air mattress, according to The Atlantic Journal-Constitution.
He had been missing for 10 days. Court documents later said he was killed in a drug deal that turned violent.
But this didn’t explain the mysteriously fast decay of his body, which weighed only 34 pounds when it was discovered.
Because of how quickly Merriweather’s body decayed, the Fulton County medical examiner’s office could not determine the cause of death, which is why it sent the remains to be tested.
The office said the 18.6-pound box made it to the FedEx facility in Austell, Georgia, but was lost without trace shortly after, the Journal-Constitution reported.
Apparently, the Austell FedEx facility is infamous for receiving packages, only to lose them. TrustDale, a consumer website that investigates companies that treat customers poorly, called the facility “a black hole.”
#Fedex fails once again Never use Fedex Austell GA is the blackhole for packages been there since 12/9 ? pic.twitter.com/ZOKXOvdhr0
— Trina Hannah (@trinahannah) December 17, 2021
Really wish @FedEx would get their stuff together. I’ve had an irreplaceable package that’s been scanned onto the truck for 3 straight days and hasn’t been delivered. But then again, what can you expect from the Austell, GA FedEx location.
— Phillip Nowicki (@ugadawg9288) July 3, 2022
It is also possible that the medical examiner’s office broke the law. The United States Postal Service is the only mailing service legally allowed to ship human remains, according to the Journal-Constitution, and even then, they must be cremated.
FedEx’s own shipping guide prohibits the transport of human remains.
Merriweather’s remains were shipped in a a box measuring 20″x16″x14″ box, the Journal-Constitution reported. A Fulton County pathologist asked the St. Louis lab for a trauma analysis, the newspaper reported.
The Fulton medical examiner has not answered questions as to why the remains were sent via FedEx, according to the Journal-Constitution.
In an statement to the Journal-Constitution via email, a FedEx spokeswoman said its service should not have been used for the purpose.
“Our thoughts and concerns remain with the family of Mr. Merriweather, however, we request that further questions be directed to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office,” the statement said, according to the newspaper. “Shipments of this nature are prohibited within the FedEx network.”
But all Jeffrey’s mother wants is closure.
“It’s a nightmare you can’t wake up from,” Kathleen Merriweather, Jeffrey’s mother, told the Journal-Constitution.
“I just want — I need — closure. And I know his kids are resilient, but I think they probably need that also.”
