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<\/p>\nGOWANUS, 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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“I rather the apartment looks horrible, and I just have my stuff and my ashes,” Gorham said.<\/p>\n
The missing items included a wooden box containing the remains of her mother, who died when Gorham was 8 years old.<\/p>\n
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“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.<\/p>\n
She said the necklace had special significance to her family.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
“Originally, it would have been in my hands. I wish now that I didn’t trust blindly,” she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In a written statement, NYCHA said it “received a related property claim and is currently investigating.”<\/p>\n
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“I went through the stages of doing a claim, and they told me that they were going to do an investigation,” Gorham said.<\/p>\n
Seeking answers, Gorham and her family conducted their own search and went to a King Street address listed on her moving paperwork.<\/p>\n
“When we did go to the storage unit, it was not a storage unit. It was a warehouse,” Gorham said.<\/p>\n
After publicly discussing her mother’s missing ashes, Gorham said she received notification from NYCHA that her lease is being terminated.<\/p>\n
“They’re saying I breached the contract,” she said.<\/p>\n
Gorham said NYCHA told her the action was related to a complaint from a neighbor.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t want all of this. I just want the stuff back,” Gorham said.<\/p>\n
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