The owner of a store in Parma that once sold caskets, urns, headstones, and similar items has been charged with a felony for allegedly stealing from an elderly person.
According to the Parma Police Department's Facebook page, Brunswick Hills resident Karen Hayes—owner of The Casket Store on Ridge Road—collected payment from a customer but never fulfilled the purchase. She has been charged with theft in the case, and is due to make her next court appearance on May 8 at 10:30 a.m.
Back in 2016, WKYC Investigator Tom Meyer spoke to multiple people who claimed Hayes had not delivered gravestones for their deceased loved ones despite payment already being issued and wait times of more than a year. At the time, the Cleveland Better Business Bureau gave The Casket Store an "F" rating, although Hayes claimed the issue was due to "a problem switching suppliers."
Hayes later issued a full refund to one of the families involved and delivered a gravestone to the other, but it appears more people have accused her of similar actions in the years both before and after. Several comments on the Parma Facebook post detailed instances where Hayes allegedly did not deliver materials in a timely fashion, if at all.
"It took threatening with the News and an Attorney to get the headstone for our Mom," Kathy King wrote. "She said 8 weeks and I believe it was almost a year!"
"My brother died several years ago and we ordered an engraved cross from her for his grave site," Debbie Lange added. "He died in August. In November I started to tell her I was tired of waiting, the ground was freezing and I would not be able to put it on until spring. She had a different story every time I talked to her. Finally in March we got in. I never did business with them again. So very sad."
Earlier this year, The Casket Store closed permanently for so far undisclosed reasons.
