HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — The burial business is considered a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States with families often spending thousands of dollars to remember their loves ones.
Imagine spending that money and never receiving what you paid for following your loved one's funeral. That's what one Henry County family says happened to them.
Crystal Kelley said her father, William Thomas Kelley Sr., passed away in March 2023. Shortly after, she said her family contacted Atlanta-based customized memorial company Supa Memorial Enterprises.
“We had a representative, and he met us. We had a really good meeting. He laid it all out for us. He also said that if we paid that day, she would receive a discount," Crystal explained.
Crystal said her mom, Debbie Kelley, signed a contract, paying several thousand dollars to a representative with Supa Memorial. They said a portion of the tombstone that they ordered arrived in December, but the monument that would display the Kelley name never arrived.
“In February, I received a troubling email from Supa Memorial saying that the representative we used was charged and arrested for theft from the clients that he had met and set up with and that we were one of those clients involved," Crystal said.
The Kelley family quickly realized that they were not the only ones who this employee may have victimized.
“It broke my heart. It really did," Debbie said. "I just didn’t see it coming."
A spokesperson with Supa Memorial confirmed that an employee who was terminated earlier this year is accused of stealing money from over a hundred people. The spokesperson added that the company has also lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection to this incident. Despite also being victims, company officials say they are working to ensure every family gets what they ordered for their loved ones.
