‘Not human:’ Maryland mom wants crematorium held accountable after receiving fake ashes

CHARLES COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A Maryland mother who believed she had received her young son’s cremated remains is now grieving his loss all over again after an expert determined the ashes she was given are not human.

Michelle Bivens’ son, Jabril, was 8 years old when he died in November 2024 after an eight-month battle with aggressive cancer. Bivens said she chose cremation in part so she could keep her son close.

“I had six kids altogether and Jabril was the youngest,” Bivens said. “Everybody loved Jabril. He was very smart, motivated.”

Jabril’s body was taken to Heaven Bound Crematorium in Charles County, a facility that later became the focus of a state investigation. The crematorium was shut down in January 2025 after inspectors found a nonfunctioning cremation chamber and decomposing bodies stacked in an open cooler, according to authorities.

Investigators later discovered bodies stored in plastic bags in the garage of the crematorium owners’ home, police said. In February, Maryland State Police arrested owners Rosa Williams and Brandon Williams, charging them with mishandling human remains.

After learning of the investigation, Bivens contacted attorney Cedric Lewis, who represents several families suing Heaven Bound, fearing that her son may never have been cremated. Lewis arranged for the material Bivens received to be analyzed by an independent expert.

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A recently completed 27-page report concluded that the remains provided to Bivens are not human.

“His remains were in fact not human remains,” Lewis said. “What she was provided — which at this point we don’t know what they are — but what we do know is they aren’t human remains.”

The findings have devastated Bivens, who said she no longer knows what became of her son’s body.

“To find this out, I mean, I don’t know where my son is,” she said. “Watching your child die in front of you and then to get this type of news — it’s a lot.”

Lewis said the expert report further underscores the alleged misconduct at the crematorium.

“It proves that the conduct that was going on in this place, which we thought couldn’t get any lower, unfortunately, it did,” he said.

Lewis said his focus now is getting answers for grieving families.

“My goal is to uncover the truth and hold this company accountable,” he said.