Funeral director accused of tossing pets' bodies into landfill, giving owners unknown ashes

A Pennsylvania funeral director is being charged after he is accused of throwing away the bodies of people's pets and giving them ashes belonging to another animal, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.

On Monday, Patrick Vereb, 70, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial in Pittsburgh, was charged with the "improper disposal of thousands of dogs and cats for which owners paid for cremations, burials, returns of ashes, and other services," according to a news release sent out from the office.

Vereb is accused of stealing over $650,000 from pet owners between 2021 and 2024, disposing of pets' bodies in a landfill and then giving customers ashes that belonged to unknown animals.

An investigation identified over 6,500 victims affected by the scam across four different counties in the state, according to the attorney general's office.

”This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,” Attorney General David Sunday said in a statement. “Our pets are members of our families, and this defendant betrayed and agonized pet owners who entrusted him to provide dignified services for their beloved cats and dogs."

Paste BN has reached out to Vereb Funeral Home.

What was Vereb charged with?

Vereb was charged with the following felony counts, according to the attorney general:

• Theft by deception
• Receiving stolen property
• Deceptive business practices

Vereb was charged on Monday after he surrendered himself in the afternoon, according to the attorney general's office. He was released on his own recognizance.

Almost a dozen businesses worked with the attorney general

Vereb is believed to have collected $657,517 "from pet owners who were promised a private cremation for their pet, but did not receive the actual ashes of their pet."

The hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly stolen by Vereb were confirmed by almost a dozen veterinary practices and businesses who worked with the attorney general on the case.

Eternity Pet Memorial collected pets' bodies through veterinarians or directly from consumers, according to the release.

Julia is a trending reporter for Paste BN. Connect with her on LinkedIn,X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com