Wrexham: Family handed wrong ashes following sudden death

Yvonne Williams, from Wrexham, sadly lost her 52-year-old son Marc on January 13, 2023, following a bout of pneumonia.

After leaving school, Marc joined the Welsh Fusiliers, where he spent several years before being medically discharged.

He had a strong passion for music and would often do forms of DJ work and bar work in and around the Wrexham area.

After his death in January last year, Marc was cremated on February 14 following a service at Pentre Bychan. 

Following the cremation, Marc's family took home some of his jewellery, and keepsakes, as well as what they thought were his ashes. 

That was until six months later when they got the "devastating" news that they had been handed the wrong ashes, with Marc's ashes being given to another family.

The state of the box in which Marc's ashes arrived in. (Image: UGC)

After finally being given her son's ashes, seven months after his death, Yvonne said the box in which they came in was "damp and damaged". 

Wrexham Council has apologised to Yvonne and her family, but the Wrexham mum says her family has been "ripped apart" by the mistake. 

She said: "The stress this has caused us as a family is unbearable, I honestly don't think they realise what this has done to us.

"You pay for these people to do their job and take care of our loved ones and it's obvious they haven't done it.

"These are human beings, not animals and no one deserves to have to go through what we have been through.

"Just say we decided to go to a place our son loved and scatter what we thought were 'his' ashes and the other family had done the same. It doesn't bear thinking about, we would have lost them for ever.

"They say they have apologised but it wasn't straight to us, but by email to a solicitor. We will never know where Marc's ashes had been for those seven months. 

"We will never, ever be the same family again. Our lives have been ripped apart by this mistake which should never have happened in the first place."

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A spokesperson for Wrexham Council said: "Firstly we would again like to offer our sincere apologies and regret to both families for this isolated incident, and we do not underestimate the distress this has caused.

"Between the 17th February and 21st August remains of deceased party (A) were with family (B), and remains of deceased party (B) were with family (A).

"We have since implemented additional measures to mitigate and prevent such an occurrence happening again."

Paying tribute to her son, Yyvone said: "Marc loved life with his partner of 12 years, he enjoyed holidays and loved the drama of life. He had his medical problems but got on with life as best he could. 

"He was a big guy with a big heart and life will never be the same for his dad, myself, his partner, and sisters. 

"We miss him more every day."