This may be the type of story that you ask, “What did I just read?”

Shortly after 1 AM this past Saturday morning a Murfreesboro man called police after he spotted a car parked in front of his Warrior Drive home.   While that may not be entirely odd, what the driver of the car is believed to have left behind is extremely peculiar.

The resident said he saw the female exit the car and open both the front and back passenger doors. Minutes later he observed that the female left. The man quickly noticed a small black box in his front yard along with a bag of what appeared to be ashes. The box had a label on it that said, “Kilgore Funeral Home.” The name, “Nelson Francis Craigue III” was also typed on the box. The Kilgore Funeral Home is located in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

WGNS checked the website of the “Kilgore Funeral Home” and confirmed they recently had possession of Mr. Craigue in November of 2012. He evidently passed away November 27th. The obituary on their website simply stated, “No services are planned at this time.” Craigue was a Tullahoma resident.

Being new to such a situation, the responding officer noted, “I respectfully placed the bag into the box and secured the box in my vehicle.” The officer transported the box to Middle Tennessee Medical Center where it was given to the morgue for safe keeping.

The question now is, who was the woman and why did she leave someones remains behind?

Source:

Kilgore Funeral Home
Murfreesboro Police Incident Report #13-6565

Laws regarding unclaimed cremated remains in Tennessee:

T.C.A. 62-5-508.  Final disposition of remains -- Unclaimed cremated remains.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), no person shall:

(1) Dispose of the cremated remains of a dead human body or body parts in such a manner or in such a location that the cremated remains are commingled with those of another decedent or body parts removed from another decedent or living person; or

(2) Place the cremated remains of more than one (1) decedent or of body parts removed from more than one (1) decedent or living person in the same urn or temporary container.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a person may:

(1) Scatter cremated remains at sea, by air or in a dedicated area at a cemetery used exclusively for the scattering on the ground of the cremated remains of dead human bodies or body parts;

(2) Commingle cremated remains of more than one (1) decedent or of body parts removed from more than one (1) decedent or living person or the placement in the same urn or temporary container of the cremated remains of more than one (1) decedent or of body parts removed from more than one (1) decedent or living person if operating under specific instructions from the decedent or decedents or an heir or personal representative designated by the decedent or decedents to make such a decision; and

(3) If the person is operating under the decedent's instructions, commingle the cremated remains or body parts removed from another decedent or living person, after receipt of the cremated remains or the body parts, with those of another decedent or body parts removed from another decedent or living person.

(c) Unless otherwise specified by any written agreement between the operator of the crematory facility or funeral establishment and the person or entity requesting the cremation of human remains, any cremated human remains unclaimed one hundred eighty (180) calendar days from the date of cremation, may be interred, entombed, or inurned by the operator of the crematory facility, and a record of the disposition of such unclaimed cremated human remains shall be made available by the operator of the crematory facility or funeral establishment for inspection during normal business hours.

HISTORY: Acts 1999, ch. 215, § 8; 2000, ch. 779, §§ 16-18; 2010, ch. 655, § 1.