Families in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley are facing uncertainty as they learn that the ashes they thought belonged to their loved ones may not be genuine. Despite the potential for DNA testing to provide answers, the process remains challenging for identifying remains accurately.
The former Serenity Funeral Home, now under new ownership, recently informed several families that the ashes of their deceased relatives were discovered in storage.
Michelle Carey utilized Serenity’s services when her father, Hendrik (Hank) Sabean, passed away in 2018. Sabean had specific wishes regarding his funeral arrangements with the funeral home.
Now faced with the prospect of repeating the burial process and unsure of whose remains were actually buried, Carey expressed skepticism about the possibility of definitively identifying the remains.
Carey mentioned the challenges of conducting DNA testing to verify the identity of the remains, questioning the certainty of obtaining her father’s remains this time.
Dean Hildebrand, overseeing the forensic DNA laboratory at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, highlighted the difficulty of extracting enough DNA from ashes for identification purposes.
According to Hildebrand, while trace amounts of DNA can sometimes be found in ashes, the challenge lies in utilizing that DNA effectively for identification.
He emphasized the resilience of DNA in various scenarios, such as recovering full DNA profiles from human remains in fires, contrasting the severe breakdown of organic matter in crematorium conditions.
Hildebrand described the current situation as one of the most challenging scenarios for identification, especially due to the significant number of remains involved, as reported by the new owners of Serenity funeral homes, East Coast Memorial.
Despite the low likelihood of successful identification, Hildebrand did not rule out the possibility entirely, suggesting that testing could potentially yield valuable results from even a fragment of bone.
Hendrik (Hank) Sabean died in 2018 at the age of 67, with specific requests for his funeral arrangements, involving Serenity Funeral Home for the service and burial of his ashes. (Amanda Sabean)
Hildebrand encouraged pursuing testing efforts, acknowledging the importance of managing expectations throughout the
