A dead Scottish dad has been left lying in a morgue for nine months like "unclaimed baggage" after a long-running row over who should bury him.
Stuart Fisher, 57, died suddenly back in June 2022 and his Next of Kin was left to arrange his funeral. However, Stuart's daughter Brogan claims the person in question did a runner and took grant money provided for his burial.
Brogan added that her dad's Next of Kin, who cannot be named for legal reasons, cut ties with the family, reports the Record. Brogan, 26, from Dunfermline, says her family have been left devastated by the length of time it has taken for her dad's body to be released.
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Brogan told the Record: "I have been fighting to get dad's Next of Kin status transferred to me for months. I wasn't able to reach the person who had it and my dad was left lying in the morgue like unclaimed baggage for months because his body couldn't be released to me.
"This has been heartbreaking and it has absolutely drained me. I lost a lot of weight, I couldn't sleep or eat. It has affected my mental health and given me anxiety. I felt so guilty because my dad should have never been left just lying there."
The care worker added how she worked tirelessly with the procurator fiscal and her lawyer to try and find a solution to having her dad's body released while his Next of Kin did not respond to her attempts of contact.
However, Brogan's nightmare journey finally came to an end when officials tracked the individual earlier in the month meaning her fight to bury her dad was over.
She continued: "It was at that point that this person eventually agreed to transfer Next of Kin rights to me. I have fought so hard to get his body released and it has been such a long road."
Sadly, the situation had also left Brogan searching for answers on how her "lovely" dad died. She added: "When I was told I could have dad's body they were also able to finally tell me what his cause of death was and the conclusion was suicide.
"The police gave me his possessions last week and I was a shaking wreck. They found a notebook next to his body and there were letters to me and my sister. My dad had a really hard life, but he was such a lovely person and would have helped anybody.
"I had a feeling about what had happened and I sort of knew. He had an accident a few years ago after he fell out of a high window. He suffered some injuries and was on medication because he was in a lot of pain. I just wish he would have reached out to me to speak about it but he must have been so tired and felt like this was the only way out."
Dad-of-three Stuart will now be cremated on Tuesday, March 21, and Brogan said that despite the long-running ordeal, she can now grieve properly knowing her dad is finally at peace.
She said: "I feel a lot better. I have answers I needed and I can now get some closure and grieve properly. I can finally get back to my life."
Friends have rallied to support Brogan and help her pay for the funeral costs. The family are requesting that any donations offered by well-wishers are made to male mental health charity Andy's Man's Club.
Brogan is now fundraising to help pay for the remainder of the funeral, donations can be made by clicking here.
The Samaritans can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
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