PITTSBURGH — Pet owners are devastated after a local funeral home owner was accused of dumping pets in a landfill instead of cremating them as promised.
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced felony charges against Patrick Vereb, 70, owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial.
>>> Pittsburgh funeral home owner accused of dumping pets in landfill instead of cremating them
Investigators say he deceived more than 6,500 pet owners who paid for burial and cremation services, but instead received ashes from other animals.
“I’m praying that it’s him, but I doubt it,” Nikki Freeman-Thomas said.
She’s one of the pet owners in Western Pennsylvania who paid to have their pet cremated, only to find out what they were given in return was not their animal’s ashes.
“I think he should be charged because nobody knows what they’re getting, this could be dirt this could be a body, I don’t know what’s in my house,” she said.
Freeman-Thomas says she paid hundreds of dollars in December of 2024 for Vereb to pick up her dog Tyson and have his ashes returned.
“He came and got him, and two weeks later I was like ‘where’s my puppy at,’ so I called and he didn’t even remember coming to pick him up or anything. Never remembered speaking to me,” she said.
Channel 11 attempted to contact Vereb for comment today in person and over the phone.
The AG’s office says Vereb surrendered to authorities Monday and was arraigned. He was released on his own recognizance. It’s unclear if his business is still operating.
The Attorney General’s office has launched a website for the thousands of victims. This will allow victims to provide impact statements and receive updates on the criminal case.
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