Mexican mother to be awarded $445K by coroner who cremated her son in violation of her faith
Mexican woman is set to get $445,000 payout from LA coroner for cremating her murdered son in violation of her Catholic beliefs, leaving her fearful she won’t see him in the afterlife
Maria Elvira Quintanilla Cebreros, of Tijuana, sued the Coroner’s Office claiming she was put through a taxing ordeal when trying to locate her sonFabricio Sanchez Quintanilla was visiting Los Angeles at the time of his murder in 2019. He was found stabbed to death inside a trash bag on June 10 of that yearHis passport, Tijuana address and his mother’s name and telephone number were found along with his body, but Cebreros was not immediately informedWhen she finally expected closure after weeks of uncertainty, Cebreros was struck with news that Sanchez’s body was cremated, in violation of her faithThe mother sued the coroner’s office in 2020, arguing that its decision had jeopardized her chances to be reunited with Sanchez in the afterlife
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A Mexican mom is in line for a $445,000 payout after her murdered son was cremated by Californian officials despite her Catholic faith forbidding it.
Maria Elvira Quintanilla Cebreros, of Tijuana, is on the verge of settling with Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office for the six figure sum over how it disposed of her son Fabricio Sanchez Quintalla’s remains following his June 2019 murder.
The OC County Register reported that the grieving mother now fears she won’t see her son in the afterlife, because his remains were disposed of in a way that is forbidden by her religion.
She also sued the Coroner’s Office claiming she was put through a taxing and unnecessary ordeal when trying to locate her 33-year-old son Fabricio Sanchez Quintanilla.
Sanchez was visiting Los Angeles at the time of his murder in 2019. He was found stabbed to death inside a trash bag on June 10 of that year.
No further details about why Fabricio was murdered have emerged, and no-one has ever been arrested for the brutal crime.
His identifications, Tijuana address and his mother’s name and telephone number were found along with his body, but Cebreros was not immediately informed, the suit argues.
Maria Elvira Quintanilla Cebreros (left), of Tijuana, sued the Coroner’s Office claiming she was put through a taxing and unnecessary ordeal when trying to locate her 33-year-old son Fabricio Sanchez Quintanilla (right)
Cebreros was only notified by authorities that her son’s body was in the custody of the LA’s Coroner’s Office through a social media comment on one of her Facebook posts pleading for information from the public, her lawsuit claims, the Daily Breeze reported.
When she finally expected closure after weeks of uncertainty, Cebreros was struck with news that Sanchez’s body was cremated, in violation of her Catholic faith.
The heartbroken mother sued the coroner’s office in 2020 for $445,000, arguing that its decision had jeopardized her chances to be reunited with Sanchez in the afterlife.
The Office of County Counsel advised that the suit be settled by granting Cebreros the sum she sued for. The Board of Supervisors must now vote on the recommendation, before Cebreros is awarded the money.
The heartbroken mother sued the coroner’s office in 2020, arguing that its decision to cremate Sanchez had jeopardized her chances to be reunited with him in the afterlife
Cebreros filed the lawsuit in 2020, claiming the county filed to follow procedure after it cremated her son without her authorization.
‘Plaintiff is a devout Roman Catholic,’ the lawsuit, obtained by the Daily Breeze, states.
‘Her religious and cultural belief systems include a strong conviction that the bodies of loved ones must be buried in a cemetery near the family. It is against the tenets of her faith to cremate a loved one.’
Sanchez had told his mother he would travel to Los Angeles on May 20, 2019. He had told her he was going to stay a few days with a friend, the lawsuit states.
According to Facebook posts made by Cebreros, Sanchez had traveled to San Diego for work preceding his death.
He lived in Tijuana with Cebreros, but often visited his son in San Diego with a Visa/Border Crossing Card.
Sanchez’s body was found inside a trash bag on June 10 by an off-duty police officer who was overwhelmed by an odor while walking south side of eastbound Interstate 60.
Sanchez was visiting Los Angeles at the time of his murder in 2019. He was found stabbed to death inside a trash bag on June 10 of that year
More mistakes were then made by the Coroner’s Office on his death certificate, which listed his birth year as 1959, instead of 1985, and his home country as Guatemala, the lawsuit claimed
A California Highway Patrol officer responded to the scene and soon investigators with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office also arrived to inspect the body.
It was determined that Sanchez was a homicide and he had died due to numerous stab wounds.
Cebreros said in the lawsuit that despite finding several identification items in her son’s bag, such as a Mexican passport and a driver’s license that listed a telephone number and home address in Tijuana, she was not immediately informed about Sanchez’s death.
According to the lawsuit, the report included a part that mentioned his next-of-kin had not been notified. He was cremated on July 30.
More mistakes were then made on his death certificate, which listed his birth year as 1959, instead of 1985, and his home country as Guatemala, the lawsuit claimed.
According to Facebook posts made by Cebreros, Sanchez had traveled to San Diego for work preceding his death. He lived in Tijuana with Cebreros, but often visited his son in San Diego with a Visa/Border Crossing Card
Cebreros, desperate to find out where her son was, traveled to Los Angeles to meet with the Mexican consulate but received no updates, she claimed.
Police allegedly told her they hadn’t found a body matching Sanchez’s description.
Cebreros often shared on social media about her son’s disappearance in hopes that he be found alive.
The mother learned that Sanchez’s body was in custody of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office through a social media post that informed her he had been found in August 2019.
The suit claims that she was then given all of her son’s belongings, despite having been told before that there were no records of him.
The suit argues: ‘Defendants’ failure to notify plaintiff of the death of her son and to allow her to dictate the terms of his disposition and final resting place has been emotionally devastating.
‘Due to her religious and cultural beliefs regarding cremation, plaintiff struggles daily with the thought that her son may not have made it to his maker. She agonizes over whether she will see him in the afterlife.’
