LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Another family has filed a lawsuit alleging their loved one's remains were not handled appropriately by McDermott's Funeral & Cremation Service.
The lawsuit was filed this month by Alyssa Sandoval, who is the administrator of her father's estate.
According to the lawsuit, her father, Avelino, fell ill on May 6, 2025 and was taken by ambulance to Summerlin Hospital. He passed away later that day, and his body was taken to McDermott's.
Attorneys claim McDermott's representatives told Alyssa that Avelino's body would be cremated in seven to 28 business days.
"Alyssa was advised multiple times by McDermott's staff that they were in the process of cremating Avelon's remains, but this was untrue," the lawsuit reads in part. "Notwithstanding McDermott's balance being paid in full, Avelino's remains were not processed until or about approximately June 13, 2025."
The lawsuit states the family is unsure if the cremains they were provided were Avelino's.
"When a decedent is cremated, the body will be incinerated leaving cremains as remains, but the metal tag does not burn or melt. This tag is how a crematorium can identify a person's cremains after the body has been incinerated," the lawsuit states. "When Avelino's cremains were returned to Alyssa, Alyssa did not receive an identifying metal tag for Avelino. Based upon this information, Alyssa formed the belief that the remains she received are not those of her father."
Alyssa later learned that her father's body was stored in Cooler 3 at McDermotts, where attorneys claim his remains were contaminated with the blood, bodily fluids, or remains of other decedents.
This is not the first time Channel 13 has learned of such claims.
Multiple lawsuits filed against McDermott's contain similar allegations.
In August, we told you the family of Dora Gonzalez filed a lawsuit stating McDermott's was supposed to handle her cremation after she passed away on July 17, 2025. Instead, the family says they were informed by the Clark County Coroner's Office on Aug. 12, 2025 that not only had she not been cremated, her body had been moved from McDermott's "due to unsanitary conditions." She was finally cremated on Sept. 1, 2025.
August 2025: Daughter, neighbor speak out after unsettling discoveries at Las Vegas funeral home
In March, we told you about two other families who have filed lawsuits. The parents of Autumn Serna state she was just over a year old when she passed away on June 29, 2024. The lawsuit alleges a payment dispute delayed services for Autumn, and McDermott's told the family her remains weren't processed until Nov. 4, 2024. They also questioned if the remains were hers because there was no identifying metal tag.
Mixon Fischele passed away on July 31, 2025. A lawsuit filed by her family states that after state officials shut McDermott's down, the bodies were moved to Davis Funeral Home in "unsanitary and unsafe conditions," and bodies were left "in the street for an extended period of time in temperatures in excess of 110 degrees." Fischele's body had decomposed so badly that her family was not able to have an open casket funeral when she was buried on Aug. 23, 2025, the complaint stated.
"To this day, it is unknown if the body that was in the casket was actually Plaintiff's mother," lawyers wrote.
August 2025: Families question remains after funeral home shutdown reveals bodies stored improperly for months
Inspections by the Nevada State Funeral Board were done in July and August 2024. Inspectors described disturbing conditions, including coolers with multiple bodies leaking fluids. Ultimately, McDermott's license was revoked.
In a previous email to Channel 13, McDermott's general manager called the inspections "baseless," saying the board deprived the business of the opportunity to address each matter individually.
They went on to say "supporters are calling on Governor Joe Lombardo to review the case, restore McDermott’s license, and hold the Nevada Funeral and Cemetery Services Board accountable for procedural fairness."
A total of 146 bodies were transferred from McDermott's to Davis Funeral Home under the supervision of the Clark County Coroner's Office.
WATCH: Cremations begin for 146 bodies recovered from shuttered Las Vegas funeral home
Clark County also terminated its contract with McDermott's, which had been one of several mortuaries contracted to provide burial and cremation services for individuals in Southern Nevada without family or the financial means to handle end-of-life arrangements.
WATCH: Clark County ends contract with McDermott's