GOWANUS, Brooklyn (WABC) — A New York City Housing Authority resident says more than 100 boxes of personal belongings, including her late mother’s ashes, went missing after a temporary relocation tied to a renovation project at her Gowanus Houses apartment.
Katrina Gorham, a resident of the NYCHA development, said she returned to her three-bedroom apartment in August to find that numerous boxes containing clothing, family belongings and her mother’s ashes were missing.
“I rather the apartment looks horrible, and I just have my stuff and my ashes,” Gorham said.
The missing items included a wooden box containing the remains of her mother, who died when Gorham was 8 years old.
“I can’t even put it into words. I’m embarrassed. I’m extremely hurt for my family, for my son. The necklace that was in the box belonged to my son,” Gorham said.
She said the necklace had special significance to her family.
“The necklace said grandmother on it, and it was on her neck when she passed away, and he… he begged for the necklace, and I would allow him to wear it because he is young,” Gorham said.
In early June, Gorham, 46, and her three children were temporarily relocated by NYCHA as part of a multimillion-dollar renovation project. Gorham said she had to quickly pack her apartment for abatement work after crews found asbestos, lead and mold.
“Originally, it would have been in my hands. I wish now that I didn’t trust blindly,” she said.
When she returned home in August, Gorham said more than 100 boxes containing clothing, her children’s belongings and her mother’s ashes were gone.
In a written statement, NYCHA said it “received a related property claim and is currently investigating.”
“I went through the stages of doing a claim, and they told me that they were going to do an investigation,” Gorham said.
Seeking answers, Gorham and her family conducted their own search and went to a King Street address listed on her moving paperwork.
“When we did go to the storage unit, it was not a storage unit. It was a warehouse,” Gorham said.
After publicly discussing her mother’s missing ashes, Gorham said she received notification from NYCHA that her lease is being terminated.
“They’re saying I breached the contract,” she said.
Gorham said NYCHA told her the action was related to a complaint from a neighbor.
“I didn’t want all of this. I just want the stuff back,” Gorham said.
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