'Cremated' father spotted on TV
source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7597500.stm
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Delaney went missing in 2000 and when a decomposed body matching his description was found in 2003 he was identified by a coroner. However, it has since emerged that Delaney had actually been put in a care home after being found wandering around the town with memory loss. Unable to identify himself, he was given the name "David Harrison" and placed in the care home where he stayed for eight years. His family reported him as missing but appeals failed to uncover information about his whereabouts.
The body of a man, which had similar clothes and historic wounds to Mr Delaney, was found in the grounds of Manchester Royal Infirmary in January 2003. It was identified as Mr Delaney and a funeral was held.
More than five years after the cremation service, Mr Renehan, from Didsbury, saw a television appeal about finding the family of the man in the care home, who he recognised as his father. He contacted the authorities and DNA tests confirmed their relationship.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said the identification mix-up was a matter for the coroner, who is no longer in the post. But a spokesperson said: "Greater Manchester Police accepts that mistakes were made and that Mr Delaney's family has been through a traumatic ordeal."
An investigation is under way to try to establish the identity of the man cremated in 2003.
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Midnight_DevilX
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wow...this is crazy! Very powerful, indeed. No one is perfect, glad they are living up to their mistakes. Poor guy though, having to live for 5 years thinking his father was dead.
I'd be scarred seeing my "dead" father on TV five years later....talk about unbelievable!
- 3 years ago
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Midnight_DevilX
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Tygerr
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I can't decide if this is a happy or tragic ending..
- 3 years ago
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Tygerr
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ximalim
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It must have been absolutely insane to see someone you thought was long gone again. I cant even comprehend the crazy ass emotions you'd feel. Like Gandalf coming back or something. Jeez.
- 3 years ago
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ximalim
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EscarpasMistress
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That must have been a nightmare yet a dream come true. It is a nice story: someone you mourned for has come back. I hope they are both doing well..
- 3 years ago
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EscarpasMistress
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marpunk
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Reunited, isn't always the greatest thing. Its sad to see that he already had his friends and family cry over him. Now I guess this amnesiac father will be a bit of a tribute to the man that they honored since he's lost himself.
- 3 years ago
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marpunk
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LindseyIndigo
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That's an amazing story, and very sad - imagine if he hadn't been watching TV at that particular moment and had never spotted his dad? Crazy. The poor guy, he's already grieved for his father - I wonder if it's better for anyone that they're reunited when his poor dad probably doesn't know who he is anyway, and so the son has to deal with the loss of his father again in a way?
Kind of on the subject, there's a fantastic-sounding new doc coming up on Channel 4 (part of their First Cut strand for talented new directors) called Watch Me Disappear, about the unmourned dead, and funerals that no-one goes to. It sounds like an excellent film.
- 3 years ago
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LindseyIndigo
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Pollard
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Unbelievable. It makes you wonder how many other 'dead people' are unknowingly still somewhere their families are completely unaware of.
- 3 years ago
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Pollard
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