Pennsylvania Story Highlights Very Real Problems of Unclaimed Remains and Unpaid Bills … and a Possible Solution

Jeffrey Butya was something of a local celebrity in the Robinson Township community of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Described in a February 12, 2025 tribute as a “local bar and grill manager, former rock ‘n roll roadie and perhaps most notably, one of the most unforgettable walk-ons in Penn State football history,” seemed to have made an impression on all who crossed his path. 

When Butya passed away on Friday, February 7 after suffering a stroke two months earlier, his family members were overwhelmed by the outpouring of condolences. Although he had never married and had no children, Butya and his uncle, brother, and sister-in-law were longtime owners and operators of several beloved family-owned taverns and neighborhood bars. It was Cassie Butya, the widow of Jeffrey Butya’s late brother Ken, who shared with the West Hill Gazette on February 12 that there would be no public viewing for Jeffrey, but that she and her sons would be announcing a “memorial get-together” when details were finalized.

In the public eye

Fast forward to last week — July 19, 2025, to be exact. This was the day Frank Garland, Partner and Editor at the West Hills Gazette, and the author who penned the beautiful tribute to Butya in the same paper on February 12, wrote an update piece entitled, “Unclaimed remains: The fate of Jeff Butya’s ashes.”

Garland shared a truly sad story — but one that is not at all foreign to deathcare professionals. The cremated remains of Jeffrey Butya were still in the custody of Thomas-Little Funeral Service Inc. and Crematory — along with an unpaid bill of $3,285 for the removal and direct cremation services that were authorized by Butya’s brother Brian in February. 

Five months in limbo

There had been no memorial get-togethers for the man who was known as “Booty” by his friends. In fact, the funeral home had achieved very little contact with the family, according to Thomas-Little funeral director Mya Garrett. Despite Brian Butya’s promises to “sell a couple of things” to pay the balance on February 17, and then stopped returning Garrett’s calls, which she placed on a weekly basis. Garrett had the same results with Jeffrey Butya’s sister-in-law, although Cassie Butya did contact the funeral home via email in April and responded to Garland’s email in June.

In these correspondences, Cassie Butya shared that her brother-in-law had left no will, no life insurance, or a power of attorney, and that the situation was “complex and delicate.” She added that she was not truly “connected” to the Butya family as she had remarried and was “not involved in any part of the funeral planning and decisions.” Lastly, she told the funeral home that “while she had the ‘utmost respect for Jeff and sympathize with the situation, funeral expenses are typically a personal responsibility and not one assumed by the employer. As such, we are not in a position to cover the outstanding balance.’”

Not as uncommon as one might think

Garrett told the Gazette that this was only the third time in 30 years that a family had failed to pay for a cremation or pick up their loved one’s cremains. She added that if no one claimed Butya’s remains, they would be buried in a community vault for unclaimed remains in a local cemetery.

Garland’s article included statements from representatives of the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association and the Pennsylvania Department of State about the growing problem of unclaimed remains and the lack of mandatory holding periods in most states. 

It was clear from the story that Garrett and her team at Thomas-Little went above and beyond what regulations might have mandated in her quest to reunite Jeffrey Butya’s remains with his family. She had reached out to everyone she could, including Jeffrey’s elderly father, George, who lived in a community care facility, and had created a GoFundMe page for donations toward the bill. As of July 19, the balance in the GoFundMe account was zero.

An unexpected result

That all changed after Garland published his article in the West Hills Gazette. The following day, in an article entitled “Family steps up to claim Jeff Butya’s ashes,” Garland reported that a family member had paid the outstanding balance and a nephew would be picking up the remains. The family member was none other than Cassie Butya, and the nephew was one of her sons. That nephew asked that the $70 that was donated to the GoFundMe account after Garland’s story was published be given to charity. 

“This is what needed to happen,” funeral director Mya Garrett said. “I’m glad someone stepped up for him and he’s going home.”

Lessons learned?

So, would publicly sharing a story about the unclaimed remains and unpaid bills in your funeral home result in a similar successful outcome? Maybe, but maybe not. Considering privacy laws, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and the potential for defamation or libel accusations, it can be a slippery slope. However, in the case of Jeffrey Butya, Garland’s article appears to be a true human interest piece — a follow-up about a beloved community member and the sad fate of his remains. No matter what the intentions of the author, the end result of a zero balance, a donation to charity, and the reunion of Butya’s cremains with his family certainly seems worthwhile.