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Family says USPS lost veteran's remains

Posted at 1:41 PM, Aug 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-22 13:42:01-04

The cremated remains of a U.S. Army veteran were delayed reaching a Connecticut family in the mail, according to the late veteran's family, and they say Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is to blame.

Army Veteran Scot Egan died in July and his remains were supposed to be sent to one of his sisters, according to his other sister, Dr. Jean Egan.

However, she said the remains were lost for 12 days.

"If Postmaster General DeJoy cannot do his duty to the American public, and military families like mine, that he should be removed from his post," Egan said at a press conference Friday alongside U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut.

The U.S. Postal Service said in a statement to ABC News that they apologized for the delay, though the agency said the package was never lost.

"The Postal Service apologizes to the family for the delay," according to the statement. "There was misdirection given at the point of mailing and we are working with our personnel around the state to, again, raise awareness in proper procedures for handling cremated remains."

Egan said the remains eventually were delivered, but she said it took weeks.

Blumenthal praised the postal worker who delivered the remains, saying she "drove for two hours each way, with no overtime, to deliver those remains to Jean's sister."

DeJoy has come under fire for allegedly making changes to the agency's operations to help boost President Donald Trump's reelection in November. DeJoy, a former logistics executive and longtime Republican financier, faced lawmakers on Friday and called the allegations "outrageous."