*A family in Rochester, New York, is reeling after discovering that their sister, long believed to be dead and cremated, may still be alive.
Shanita Hopkins shared with WROC that her family was told by police in April 2024 that her sister, Shanice Crews, reported missing in July 2021, had died from a drug overdose in February in an empty lot. An autopsy reportedly showed high levels of cocaine, which left Hopkins skeptical.
Due to the body’s severe decomposition, it was cremated quickly, and the family held a funeral in May 2024. Some ashes were even mixed with those of their late mother to create keepsake necklaces.
Months later, Hopkins received a shocking Facebook message from a stranger in Detroit who claimed Shanice was alive and had just volunteered at their event. The message included a photo that Hopkins immediately recognized as her sister. Her response: “wtf.”
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She contacted the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, which initially stood by their identification through dental records. However, when further DNA tests were run using other family members, they revealed no match; the remains weren’t Shanice’s.
Feeling misled, Hopkins accused the medical examiner of rushing to close a missing person’s case, saying, “They couldn’t find out who this was, and they wanted to close a missing person’s case. That’s almost how I feel.”
The family has since returned the stranger’s ashes and is reportedly considering legal action. Despite the emotional toll, Hopkins finds some relief in the possibility that her sister is alive.
“She’s just still a missing person to us, but she’s alive and well,” Hopkins said, noting that she still has not made contact with her sister.
The medical examiner’s office told WROC that they follow “industry standard scientific methods” for identification.
Learn more about this curious story in the clip above.
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