Lawsuit says officer dumped baby's ashes (mistook his daughter's remains for cocaine.)

Orlando Sentinel ^ | August 2, 2005 | Robert Sargent

[freepatriot32]

ping

[HiTech RedNeck]

And supposing they were cocaine, how did the occifer propose to save the evidence?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Another quote: "It was horrible knowing they were in my house, but the idea of them trying to get high on a dead dog made me feel better."

[Junior_G]

How unhealthy is that, to carry your loved one's corpse around with you in a locket? The officer did the guy a favor.

[skr]

The article isn't quite clear on when the man's pendant got lost nor does it mention what the officer said he did with the ashes. Or did I miss something?

[elkfersupper]

Taking the pendant from Burnham, the officer broke its seal and dumped the ashes on the hood of his patrol car, the suit says. "Defendant Cline, after seeing that the ashes were not cocaine, wiped Plaintiff Burnham's daughter's ashes to the ground," the suit says.

[elkfersupper]

How unhealthy is that, to carry your loved one's corpse around with you in a locket? The officer did the guy a favor.

Well, there is that. Then again, the pendant and the ashes were the perp's property.

[dljordan]

"I saw "grief jewelry" in a museum. It was bracelets etc woven of the hair of the deceased and it was intricately woven into jewelry."

I've seen those. Amazing.

[skr]

Again, the article is not clear when the pendant was lost (before anyone else got to examine it? Was there a witness?) and it doesn't mention what the officer said he did with the ashes. The article only states what the Plaintiff claims. Or did I miss something?

[NotFunny]

How is that funny? The man's daughter's remains were brushed off like she didn't matter. That is not funny. That is unbelievable. And the story I heard about it says that the cop was told it was the ashes of his daughter and didn't believe him. And, instead of opening it and testing a bit, he poured it out. Then, rather than apologize and make an attempt to make it right, he brushed them on the ground!
That isn't funny! It is sad!

[NotFunny]

They were the ashes of his nine month old daughter that had died just a year before. I am sure it is a very hard thing to "let go" of something like that!

I am so very amazed at the lack of sensitivity over this matter! How can you people not be looking at this from the point of view of a parent?

[Feiny]

Please learn to read a thread properly before flaming me. That reply was to post #6 which was funny.
I await your apology.

[Feiny]

Also, you signed up just to chastise me? Wow. Were you lurking long or just stumbled upon FR and became so angered that you just had to post?

[TheBattman]

As a parent, I DID look at this from that point of view. I do understand, or at least can imagine, just how difficult it would be to deal with the loss of a child, particularly one that young.

And I do believe I in no way condoned the behavior of the cop in this case. What I did question is what I consider to be an unnatural attachment to the physical remains of a dead person. My personal belief is that those remains have no connection to the deceased. Their soul is in another place. The body is just the empty shell. I cannot imagine carrying around the remains of a dead person - even if the remains were of my daughter. Nor do I want anyone keeping my remains around. Scatter my ashes in a place that is special to me.