PONTIAC, Mich. – A bone from the mummified remains of a man found dead in 2016 was mistakenly buried with the remains of a teenage girl found dead in 1975, the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office said.
Officials said the remains of Darlene McKenzie and Donald Smith are involved in the case.
McKenzie's body was found in June 1975 in Farmington Hills, and she was identified in 2016 by the University of North Texas through bone samples.
Smith's mummified remains were found in July 2016 at a Hazel Park home.
Officials said Smith's bone sample was mistakenly released in February 2017 with McKenzie's remains to Husband Funeral Home in Westland. The bone sample was buried with McKenzie's remains in Perry Mount Park Cemetery in Pontiac later that month, officials said.
"First, we send our most heartfelt apologies to both families," Chief Forensic Pathologist Dr. Ljubisa J. Dragovic said. "The medical examiner’s office holds itself to high standards and has a reputation for excellence. In this instance, however, we fell short of those standards and are taking steps to make sure this doesn't occur in the future."
The error was discovered while the Medical Examiner's Office was reviewing McKenzie's case earlier this week. The review was prompted when McKenzie's daughter told Local 4 she had picked up some of her mother's remains last week.
Officials said the Farmington Hills Police Department reopened the cold case in 2015 in hopes of identifying McKenzie's remains and advancing the investigation.
Her daughter, Carlita Ransom, submitted her own DNA and DNA from her grandmother to the Missing and Exploited Persons Program. Officials determined DNA from the body found in 1975 was similar to the DNA of Ransom and her grandmother.
Officials said the unidentified remains were exhumed by the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office from Perry Mount Cemetery on Oct. 7, 2016. Two bone samples were submitted to the University of North Texas for DNA testing.
Smith's bone sample was being tested in the same lab in the same time frame, according to authorities.
On. Dec. 27, 2016, the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office learned the remains from 1975 belonged to McKenzie. It then received Smith's bone sample back from the university on Feb. 8, 2017.
Two days later, Smith's bone sample and McKenzie's remains were released together to the Husband Funeral Home, officials said.
"We are working to determine how the error occurred," Dragovic said. "When we identify that reason, we will implement corrective actions."
McKenzie was buried Feb. 25, 2017. After the burial, the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office received her two bone samples from the university on April 5, 2017.
Officials with the Medical Examiner's Office notified Husband Funeral Home of McKenzie's additional remains and delivered them April 15, 2017.
Smith's remains were handled by Swanson Funeral Home in Flint, which arranged cremation, officials said.
The Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office has notified Smith's family about the error.
McKenzie's remains will be exhumed at the county's expense to place her bone samples in the casket with her other remains, officials said. Smith's bone sample will be retrieved, according to officials.
The Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office has also discussed the error with Ransom, officials said.
"In the medical examiner’s office, we witness the grief families go through every day when their loved ones pass away whether from a tragedy or natural causes," Dragovic said. "We regret causing both families additional pain because of the serious error in handling their bone samples."