Pittsburgh funeral home owner allegedly dumped pets in landfill after charging for cremations

By Raquel Ciampi

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    PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — A Pittsburgh funeral home owner is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from people who paid for pet burial and cremation services.

According to the Pennsylvania attorney general, thousands of dogs and cats were improperly disposed of after their owners paid for cremations, burials and other services.

Those services were to be provided by Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial, owned by 70-year-old Patrick Vereb.

Those services amounted to more than $650,000 between 2021 and 2024, according to officials.

According to a criminal complaint, employees said Vereb instructed them to explain the different packages available to the pet owners’ families, including common burial services, private cremations, and paw prints and fur clipping of the animals.

The employees said Vereb told them to stress that they do “private” cremation as opposed to communal cremations, the complaint stated. They said pet owners often asked about getting their own pet’s remains back, saying they were instructed by Vereb to tell them once EPM received a pet, it would be given a tag with the pet’s name and the family’s last name on it.

At cremation, the complaint said, the pet was said to get a metal tag with a number to further ensure the remains were marked correctly. A signed cremation certificate was also said to be given to the pet’s owner, along with the ashes, which enforced the belief the ashes were the remains of their actual pets, the complaint said.

Following employee statements, an investigation revealed Vereb would take money in exchange for services, then dump many of the pets at a landfill and give customers ashes with other or unknown animals.

The complaint said EPM employees created and maintained a spreadsheet of invoices sent to the vets that contained the pets’ names, date of death, and cost of services following the request for cremation.

According to officials, the pets were given to Eternity Pet Memorial directly from those who purchased services or through area veterinarians.

Following the investigation, more than 6,500 victims have already been identified.

The Attorney General’s Office states those victims are from multiple Western Pennsylvania counties, including Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

”This case is disturbing and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “Our pets are members of our families, and this defendant betrayed and agonized pet owners who entrusted him to provide dignified services for their beloved cats and dogs.”

Vereb is facing multiple charges, including deception of fraudulent business practices and receiving stolen property.

The Attorney General’s Office has set up a website for victims to share contact information, as well as statements.

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