A woman from New York who went missing and was thought to be dead was discovered alive — but in another state.
According to WROC, a CBS affiliate in Rochester, the family of 31-year-old Shanice Crews was informed that their loved one was discovered dead in the spring of 2024.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the death was caused by a cocaine overdose. Authorities informed Crews’ family that they believe she died in February.
Her remains were cremated and mixed with the remains of the family matriarch before being distributed to the family in the form of jewelry that allowed them to carry the ashes of their departed relatives.
But Shanice Crews was still alive and residing in Michigan.
Crews’ sister Shanita Hopkins, whose age was not disclosed, spoke with WROC about the strange story and invited the outlet into her home, where she kept an urn she believed contained her late sister’s ashes.
Hopkins told the station that months after her family held Crews’ memorial service, she received an unexpected text message from a woman she did not know.
It featured a picture of a very familiar woman and read, “Ma’am, I’m concerned that your sister is not dead. She just volunteered for my event today.
Hopkins identified her as Shanice Crews. She told WROC that she immediately contacted the police, who directed her to the medical examiner’s office.
Authorities tried to reassure Hopkins that the dental records from the body identified as Crews were a match, but Hopkins was not convinced. The next step was to match DNA.
“They wanted my youngest sister, because her and Shanice has the same mom and dad, and then they wanted her son,” Hopkins told me. “So, both of them went and they did a DNA test, and when the results came back, they said it wasn’t a match [for the remains].”
More questions followed. Hopkins told WROC that “we dealt with the ashes and stuff.” We put them on necklaces and mixed my mother with this stranger.”
The Monroe County Medical Examiner informed WROC that they were “unable to comment on specific cases.” Hopkins stated that the office has since reclaimed the ashes that were previously thought to belong to Crews.
WROC reported that neither the outlet nor Crews’ family has been able to contact their loved one, whom they have not seen since reporting her missing in July 2021. Hopkins told WROC that if she could speak with her sister, she would say, “I love her.”
She said, “I’ve been angry for …” I am still angry. I don’t think I’ll ever get over my anger, but I understand how it feels… I know how it feels to think she’s dead, and I just want her to know that.
I just want her to know that whatever we had going on didn’t matter. Like, I love her, that’s all. That is all I would like her to know.
