Dead Woman’s Daughters Discover Wrong Body In Casket

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A Rhode Island woman wants answers after discovering the wrong body in a casket that should have contained her mother, who died unexpectedly in St. Maarten.

The Providence Journal reports Lisa Kondvar, of Warwick, discovered another woman’s body in the casket last month. Her mother’s body had been prepared at a St. Maarten funeral home.

The family believes Margaret Porkka’s body was confused with that of a Canadian woman who died on the island around the same time. They think Porkka’s body was cremated in Ottawa. Kondvar says the family wants to know for sure.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed’s spokesman says his office is working with State Department officials to help the family get answers.

St. Maarten is part of the Netherlands. It shares a Caribbean island with St. Martin, a French dependency.