'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
It has been a devastating month for the Jarjour family from Laval, Que., and on Friday, it got worse.
The family's Cuba vacation has turned into a never-ending nightmare after the body of their loved one did not return with the rest of the family.
Instead, someone else was sent in his place and now they're looking for answers as well as their father.
Faraj Jarjour died on March 22 in Varadero, Cuba, and when they went to identify the 68-year-old father of two, a Russian man about 20 years younger was in the casket with tattoos and a full head of hair.
"It was not the body of my father," said Faraj's daughter Miriam Jarjour. "It was another person who didn't look like my father."
"I'm in shock," said son Karam Jarjour. "Like, I cried."
Faraj had a heart attack in the sea on the second day of their family vacation. With no doctor at the hotel they were staying at, the family waited hours for emergency services to arrive and take his body away.
They then called the Canadian Consulate and were told it was closed on the weekend and they could come on Monday.
The consulate also said that the family must pay $10,000 to send Jarjour's body back to Canada.
They scraped the money together and waited three weeks. Now, they have his passport and death certificate but have no idea where his body is.
"It's a body," said Karam. "It's human, not an animal or something like that."
The family tried contacting the Canadian government multiple times and when they finally reached someone, Miriam said the employee said it was not their responsibility. It was, she said, the responsibility of Asistur, a Cuban medical insurance company that delivered the body.
However, Miriam said she was never in contact with the company.
"We Canadians are not protected in Cuba," she said.
The Urgel Bourgie funeral home in Montreal told CTV News that it is in contact with the Cuban company and is looking for the proper body.
Global Affairs Canada told CTV News via email that it is looking into the file.
The whole ordeal has been an emotional and physical drain on the family.
"My mom, it's been like one month since she has eaten because of what happened," said Karam.
Have a news tip? We'd like to hear your story. Please send an email to MontrealDigitalNews@BellMedia.ca
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada to see warm summer, wildfire risks loom for some regions: forecast
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
3 Israeli soldiers killed in Rafah booby trap explosion, media say, as offensive widens
The Gaza health ministry called on Wednesday for ensuring safe pathways for the immediate entry of fuel and medical aid to Rafah and northern Gaza, according to a statement carried by Hamas media quoting spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there's a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.