Custer Christiansen Mortuary

The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was filed by Carolyn Echeverria, the widow of Frederick Echeverria Sr.; her daughters, Margo Fretton and Myraya Echeverria; and her son, Frederick Echeverria Jr. It names as defendants Citrus Valley Health Partners and Covina-based Custer Christiansen Mortuary. The suit seeks unspecified damages.Representatives for CVHP and a mortuary representative did not immediately reply to emails seeking comment.Frederick Echeverria Sr. died in April 2013 at age 71 at Citrus Valley Medical Center in Covina, which is part of CVHP. He was a member of the Navy for five years until leaving the service in 1964.According to the lawsuit, the decedent's family members were told that his remains were transferred from the hospital to the morgue. But when the relatives called the morgue to make burial arrangements, they were told his body was not there, the suit states.The family then contacted the hospital, where staff members told them the body was indeed transferred to the morgue, according to the complaint.After repeated calls to the morgue, officials there said the body was sent to Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary near Whittier, the suit states. However, the staff at Rose Hills said they had not received the remains, the suit states.More than a year after Echeverria's death, a reporter called the family and said Echeverria's body was found at the morgue along with those of about 50 other veterans, according to the lawsuit.Echeverria's relatives asked morgue officials to allow them to identify the body and claim the remains, the suit states. However, the morgue staff said the body was transferred to the coroner's office, the suit states."The coroner informed the family that they had cremated the remains," the suit states.The relatives also found out that the hospital had not sent the body to the morgue, but instead to Custer Christiansen, where employees allegedly held the remains for about a month and then "sent the remains to L.A. County as an unknown, unclaimed body," according ... (Patch.com)

Officer Jordan Corder, 28, of Fontana died Tuesday afternoon after his motorcycle collided with an SUV at Citrus Avenue and Puente Street, Covina police officials said.Following an outpouring of community support since the fatal crash, fellow officers escorted Corder’s body from the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner to a Glendora mortuary in advance of services, Covina police Sgt. Gregg Peterson said.A viewing will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday at Custer Christiansen Mortuary, 124 S. Citrus Ave. in Covina, police officials said.Corder’s funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Pomona First Baptist Church, 601 N. Garey Ave. in Pomona. Immediately following, a procession will head to Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 21300 E. Via Verde Street in Covina, for a grave-side service with full police honors. A reception will follow.Corder was heading south on Citrus Avenue when he collided with an SUV that was making a left turn from northbound Citrus Avenue onto Puente Street, officials said.The driver of the SUV, a 75-year-old Covina woman, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, police said.The cause and circumstances of the crash remain under investigation. Officials were initially unable to recover any data from a camera mounted on the motorcycle. (The San Gabriel Valley Tribune)