A former resident of Pittsburgh-based Corner View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was cremated without his family's knowledge or consent after the facility allegedly failed to notify next of kin of his death, according to NBC affiliate WPXI.
Paul Tyler's family learned of his death when his granddaughter, Danielle Miller, called the nursing home to plan a Christmas visit and was told he had died months before.
Mr. Tyler died Oct. 30, 2019, and was taken to the medical examiner's office as an unclaimed individual. The office said it was unable to locate next of kin and, when no one claimed the body, sent it for cremation, per procedure.
In January, Prestige Healthcare Group took over management of the facility and told Ms. Miller they didn't have contact information for the family. Ms. Miller told WPXI she was the primary contact who had placed Mr. Tyler in the facility seven years ago.
Ms. Miller said Corner View would not return her calls, so she filed complaints with the Pennsylvania attorney general and Department of Health.
Rodney Brooks, the administrator of Corner View at the time of Mr. Tyler's death, contended that the facility had improved under his leadership and said there was a policy for notifying family when a resident dies, according to WPXI. However, Mr. Brooks could not explain why Mr. Tyler's family was not notified of his death.
"I do not have the chart in front of me, so I can't make a comment about it," he said.