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U.S. Postal Service Under Fire, Accused Of Losing Man's Cremated Remains

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Brooklyn man whose brother died in California last month is still waiting for his cremated remains to be sent back to our area.

He blames the U.S. Postal Service for losing his loved one, CBS 2's John Slattery reported Wednesday.

Ken Schecter said he's been waiting for the delivery of his brother's remains for the last three weeks.

"Horrible, deplorable, inexcusable … how insensitive," Schecter said.

His brother, Michael Schecter, who was an engineer with Hughes Aircraft and then Boeing, battled cancer for 36 years. He died in Los Angeles last month at 63.

"I think it's horrible. I lost my brother twice," Ken Schecter said.

The cremation was handled by the Neptune Society, which said on Nov. 13 it shipped the remains in a box from Valley Village, Calif., to New York City, on second day Priority Mail with the U.S. Postal Service. It was supposed to be shipped by plane.

"U.S. Postal Service website shows it went in and went out the same day, all I know," Ken Schecter said.

He said he has tracking information, but all it says is the package was received by the Postal Service on Nov. 13.

A spokeswoman for the Postal Service concurred, saying the package was scanned into a California postal facility. However, that's also where the trail goes cold. The package hasn't turned up at the postal building at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Postal Service is trying to trace it.

"I'm devastated, just devastated," Ken Schecter said.

The brother said all he wants is for the Postal Service to make good on its slogan – "We Deliver."

A spokeswoman for the Postal Service said it takes seriously the delivery of all mail items, most particularly cremated remains.

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