'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
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
BREAKING Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Person charged in random assault on actor Steve Buscemi in New York
A person wanted in connection with the random assault on actor Steve Buscemi on a New York City street earlier this month was taken into custody Friday, police said.