After discovering that the person they had cremated was not their missing loved one and that she was still alive, a family in New York is furious.
On Thursday, April 17, Shanita Hopkins spoke to Rochester station WROC-TV about the struggle her family has faced since learning that the person they have been grieving for years is not dead.
Shanice Crews, Hopkins’ sister, had vanished from sight and communication on July 6, 2021. Crews had two kids and was 28 years old at the time. Police informed Hopkins and her family in April 2024 that Crews’ remains had been discovered in February of that year. According to an autopsy conducted at the time, Crews overdosed on drugs and had significant quantities of cocaine in her system.
The circumstances surrounding Crew’s death didn’t seem plausible to Hopkins, even though she hadn’t heard from her sister in years. Hopkins told the television outlet that reading the autopsy was traumatic.
Listening to it is one thing, but reading it and seeing her name on it is quite another.
Family Cremated and Held Funeral for Loved One; 7 Months Later, They Discovered She Was Still Alive: Reporthttps://t.co/YJGmgIngjk
— MSN (@MSN) April 18, 2025
It was unclear to the family whether Crews was accidentally tainted with a drug or whether she actually died from an overdose. “You just lose your mind,” she continued. The family did not view what they were told were Crews’ remains because of how decayed the body was. Rather, a memorial service was performed for her and the body was burned.
Things took yet another distressing turn in November 2024. Hopkins got a message out of the blue from a complete stranger. Crews received a fresh photo from the individual. “I’m worried, Ma’am. Your sister is still alive. The stranger commented, “She just volunteered at my event today,” and included a picture.
Hopkins was led to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office after calling the police, and they reassured her that Crews’ dental records corresponded with the body they had cremated. The family’s mental health suffered greatly as a result of the contradictory reports.
“We dealt with the ashes and stuff, we put them in necklaces and we mixed my mom with this stranger,” Hopkins said. She continued, “You can’t take back the moments where the cop came and told us Shanice Crews has been found dead outside, like trash. You can’t take away them initial feelings … we can’t get that back. We can’t get them seven months back. We can’t get them tears back.”
Family Cremated and Held Funeral for Loved One; 7 Months Later, They Discovered She Was Still Alive: Report https://t.co/JNxdXHcTsy
— People (@people) April 18, 2025
According to Hopkins, the family is opting to hire a lawyer instead of accepting the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office’s offer to cover the cost of the burial and cremation. “I almost feel like they couldn’t find out who this was and they wanted to close a missing person’s case,” she told the news station.
When it comes to Crews, Hopkins said while their family “can’t force her to talk to us,” she does have a message for her sister.
“I love her. I’ve been angry for — I’m still angry, I don’t think I’m ever gonna get over the anger but I know how it feels to think that she was dead,” Hopkins said. “I just want her to know that whatever we had going on, it doesn’t even matter. I love her, that’s it. That’s all I would want her to know.”
According to Hopkins, the family is opting to hire a lawyer instead of accepting the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office’s offer to cover the cost of the burial and cremation:
“The Monroe County Office of the Medical Examiner uses industry standard scientific methods to identify remains of deceased individuals in a timely manner and make appropriate notifications to families. Due to restrictions on the disclosure of information contained in the records of the Office of the Medical Examiner, we are unable to comment on specific cases.”
