A family has filed a lawsuit after discovering that their loved one was never buried at the gravesite they've been visiting for decades.

Whether it was to go and talk to him or to celebrate a holiday, for the past 31 years Debbie Uraga has visited her father's gravesite at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown, near Red Bank.

"I'd go see him on Father's Day and his birthday - and even the VFW, because he was a vet, they would put the flag on the grave. It's like we all thought he was there," Uraga said. Until they found her father, George Jonas, wasn't buried there.

In June, Uraga was contacted by a man who works for an organization that goes to funeral homes to retrieve unclaimed veterans' remains to bury them properly.

He said her father's remains were in a box in the basement of the John F. Pfleger funeral home.

"It hurts a lot," Uraga said. "I thought he was there and it's like it's just unbelievable. My father should be in the cemetery with the rest of his family."

The family is now suing the Mount Olivet Cemetery and the John F. Pfleger Funeral Home in hopes of holding them accountable and ensuring no other family has to go through a similar tragedy.

"It's reprehensible conduct. There was a complete breakdown of internal procedures for chain of custody that is to prevent these exact types of incidents from occurring," said Michael Shaw, Uraga's attorney.

According to the funeral home, Jonas was cremated in 1993 and funeral arrangements were performed. The owner says that afterward, they reached out to the family for burial or pickup instructions but did not hear back. Ultimately, the funeral home attempted to provide a burial in the state's veteran cemetery.

"Finally, after 31 years, maybe he could rest. You know like they say, ‘Rest in peace.’ But how is he resting in peace if he was in the basement," said Uraga.

A formal complaint has been submitted. Uraga's attorney says they are waiting for the cemetery and funeral home to respond.