Murder victim's remains missing, after Medical Examiner's Office 'FedExes' them to lab

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Imagine losing a loved one, and then, not being able to lay their body to rest.

Why? -- Because their remains disappeared.

That's what one College Park family is dealing with.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said they shipped, via FedEx, Jeffrey Merriweather Jr.'s remains to a lab in St. Louis, Missouri. But the remains never made it.

In late June, the 32-year-old's body was recovered in Southwest Atlanta near an abandoned house, according to the family.

East Point Police believe he was shot outside a McDonald's on Virginia Avenue, but the circumstances around his death still largely remain unclear – something the family hoped would be resolved by a medical examiner's evaluation.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said because of the condition of Merriweather's remains, largely skeletonized, they needed an expert in Missouri to determine the cause and manner of death.

Those remains were reportedly shipped via FedEx on July 5; they were supposed to arrive July 9 but never did.

Dr. Jan Gorniack, Fulton County's Chief Medical Examiner, said FedEx tracked Merriweather's remains to a facility in Austell, but they haven't yet been located.

"Is my son's murder ever going to be solved," asked mother, Kathleen Merriweather. "Are we ever going to lay his body to rest?"

The family was notified of the mishap on Aug. 19, nearly six weeks after the remains should have arrived.

In a statement to FOX 5, FedEx wrote, "Our thoughts are with the family during this time, and we are working directly with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office on this matter."