In a shocking incident last month, a Florida man dumped a mother-of-four’s cremated remains and about 500 pounds of trash on the side of a road. According to reports, the 26-year-old man, Daniel, was arrested and charged with one felony count. He was charged with “littering over 500 pounds of commercial or hazardous waste.” Charlotte County sheriff’s deputies found a massive pile of trash in Punta Gorda on Oct. 3, as reported by ABC7.
A labeled bag with human ashes was found among a heap of waste, according to the news outlet. Experts revealed that the cremated remains belonged to the 39-year-old Nina Monica Brown, who died of sickle cell disease in 2024, reported Gulf Coast News Now.
“It was a straight box and plastic bag from the funeral home, like you would pick her up. It wasn’t even an urn, nothing,” resident Heather Lemcool told the outlet. “Her name, date of birth, date of death, and the funeral home were all on this ID card attached to the ashes,” she said.
Florida man allegedly dumped mother of four’s cremated remains alongside 500 pounds of trash on roadside https://t.co/83iXWuP2hH pic.twitter.com/aLg5SPbIBW
— New York Post (@nypost) November 10, 2025
Police, after sifting through the 120 cubic foot pile of trash, found a mail belonging to a woman in Sarasota and contacted her, the outlet reported. “She positively identified 80% of the discarded items as hers and told deputies that she had recently had two of her units at a local storage facility auctioned off after defaulting on her contract,” the outlet reported.
However, the woman was shocked to discover that her mail and trash ended up on that side of the road. She had no clue how the cremated remains ended up in the pile, according to the outlet. She seemed surprised and said she must not be asked any further questions.
Employees who worked at the storage unit confirmed to the police that Rolando had purchased the two units at an auction. The outlet reported that he was arrested after returning to the trash pile to clean up with a friend. “Rolando later confessed to purchasing the goods and dumping the ones he didn’t want,” according to the report.
Brown’s friend Precious Tunstall called the woman, whose ashes were carelessly disposed of, a “walking miracle” who fought sickle cell sickness for much longer than medical professionals had anticipated. “As growing up, they didn’t expect her to live past the age of 21. She wasn’t supposed to,” Tunstall told Wink News.
26-Year-Old Man Charged with Littering After Allegedly Dumping Woman’s Cremated Remains Along with 500-Lb. Trash Pile https://t.co/CetMLqcc1i
— People (@people) November 9, 2025
“They told her that she would never bear children. She had four beautiful children, two girls, two boys, and she did everything that she had to do to provide for those babies,” she said. To recover Brown’s remains and give them back to her children, she is presently assisting the police.
“It was very inconsiderate of him to just dump her on the side of the road,” Tunstall said. “I would like to have her ashes back, her remains back, so her children can have her remains.”
The Venice Gondolier reported that Rolando was released from jail on Thursday on $2,500 bond. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to reporters’ requests for comment.
