Family not likely to take action in burial dispute with Ute Tribe

Friday, November 16, 2012  

The family of a deceased member of the Ute Tribe of Utah is unlikely to take further action after the man was buried on the reservation.

Teddy Serawop, 32, died on November 5 with an enlarged heart. His mother, who is not a tribal member, said he wanted to be cremated but the mother of his children said he was to be buried on the reservation.

Hullinger Mortuary wasn't ready to release the body to Serawop's Ute family even after the tribe's court awarded disposition to his common-law wife. So his relatives came to the funeral home and took it on Tuesday.

His mother said she wasn't informed about the tribal court proceedings but an attorney for the tribe disagreed.

Get the Story:
Burial likely ended dispute over remains of Ute man (The Salt Lake Tribune 11/16)
Body snatched from Utah mortuary in family feud (The Deseret News 11/16)
Utah family steals body from funeral home, buries it in secret (The New York Daily News 11/16)
Teddy Serawop's body stolen from funeral home over family dispute (KSDK-TV 11/15)
Family takes body from mortuary over burial fight (AP 11/15)

Ute Tribe criticizes funeral home for handling of man's body (11/15)