A Pittsburgh funeral home director is facing charges after prosecutors said he threw out the bodies of thousands of pets and gave owners the ashes of other animals.  

Seventy-year-old Patrick Vereb, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial, is accused of stealing more than $650,000 from over 6,500 customers who paid for pet burial and cremation services between 2021 and 2024, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General announced on Monday. 

Funeral director accused of throwing pets in landfill 

Through about 20 veterinary practices and businesses, prosecutors said Vereb collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from pet owners who were promised a private cremation for their pet. But investigators said Vereb threw many of the pets out at a landfill, giving customers the ashes of other, unknown animals.

There are so many victims that the state has launched a website to communicate with them. In addition to vets, prosecutors said Vereb also found victims through walk-in and direct-pay clients of Eternity Pet Memorial. The attorney general’s office says it has identified victims from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties. 

Prosecutors call case “disturbing” 

“This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a press release. “Our pets are members of our families, and this defendant betrayed and agonized pet owners who entrusted him to provide dignified services for their beloved cats and dogs. I commend our investigative team for a comprehensive review of voluminous records which uncovered this long-running pattern of theft and deception.”

Vereb is facing felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices. He surrendered Monday afternoon and was arraigned on the charges before he was released on his own recognizance. 

KDKA-TV has an exclusive interview with a whistleblower and pet owner tonight at 5 p.m.