Two weeks after he died of a massive heart attack, former Atlanta police officer Adam Carney's body is expected to be returned home from Afghanistan, where he was helping train that country's nascent police force.
But his parents haven't planned his funeral yet, saying Adam Carney's employer, DynCorp International, has provided them with "non-answers" and conflicting information about when they could claim the 34-year-old Navy veteran's remains.
"No mother wants to bury their son," Wanda Carney told the AJC on Tuesday. "This has just been more torture. No one should have to go through this."
The Carneys, who flew in from Ohio soon after learning of their son's death on March 28, say they were informed Tuesday morning that he would be transported to Dover Air Force Base, where an autopsy will be performed. They hope to have the father of two back in Atlanta by the weekend.
"We couldn't understand what took so long," said Adam's father, Michael Carney. "They kept saying, ‘We don't know.' Well, why don't you know?"
A DynCorp spokeswoman said she understands the Carneys' frustration but adds the delays were out of the company's control.
"The U.S. government is the only entity that can release Mr. Carney's remains," said Ashley Burke, a vice president of communications with DynCorp. "We can't control that process."
But Michael Carney said the DynCorp representative assigned to update the family never told them of the military's involvement.
"They just keep apologizing," he said. "No reason given, just, ‘It's protocol. It's protocol.' "
In an information packet sent to families following a loved one's death, DynCorp, which assumes the cost of transporting the body back to the United States, warns of possible delays.
"It usually takes at least 24-72 hours to obtain release of the remains from the government of the country in which the death occurred," the packet states. Transportation time can take up to two days, according to DynCorp.
But the Carneys said they believe they would still be waiting had they not orchestrated a campaign by friends and family to expedite their son's return.
"You can't start to heal until you get past this," Wanda Carney said. "You don't do this to a family in grief."
As of Tuesday night, Adam Carney's flag-draped coffin remains in Afghanistan.
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