Members of the Bretuo family of Akyem Apaaso, near Oda in the Eastern Region, were left devastated after discovering that the body released to them by the morgue of the Oda Government Hospital for burial was not that of their deceased relative.
The family had collected the body of 62-year-old Margaret Yaa Kyeraa, who had been deposited at the hospital morgue ahead of her planned burial on May 16, 2026. However, their funeral preparations took an unexpected turn when relatives realised the corpse brought home was not hers.
A family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said undertakers had completed preparations at the burial grounds and relatives had gathered for the customary viewing when suspicions arose.
According to the family, a closer inspection revealed that the deceased had a different hairstyle from Yaa Kyeraa. While Kyeraa had kept her hair closely cropped, the body presented for burial had braided hair.
The discovery forced the family to return the body to the Oda Government Hospital morgue, only to learn that staff could not immediately account for the whereabouts of Yaa Kyeraa’s remains.
The incident caused considerable distress for the bereaved family, including the deceased’s husband, who had travelled from Gabon, her father from Asante Juaben in the Ashanti Region, and numerous relatives who had journeyed from Kumasi and other locations to attend the funeral.
Subsequent investigations by family members led to a breakthrough. On May 20, relatives discovered that Yaa Kyeraa’s body had been transferred to the morgue of the Suhum Government Hospital, apparently during a recent movement of corpses from Oda to Suhum.
Following the discovery, arrangements were made for the body to be returned to Oda. Family members in Suhum reportedly hired a hearse to transport Yaa Kyeraa’s remains back to the Oda Government Hospital, while retrieving the body of their own relative after confirming its identity.
When contacted after the initial incident, the Medical Superintendent of the Oda Government Hospital, Dr Kwabena Awuku, described the development as unfortunate and requested time to investigate the matter before any publication.
As part of efforts to establish the identity of the bodies involved, the hospital reportedly sought assistance from specialists from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, including plans for DNA testing involving the children of Yaa Kyeraa and the wrongly identified deceased person.
Hospital management, led by Dr Awuku, later met with members of the bereaved family to discuss the matter.
However, when contacted after reports emerged that Yaa Kyeraa’s body had been found at the Suhum Government Hospital morgue, Dr Awuku declined to confirm or deny the information, directing enquiries to the family instead.
The family has since rescheduled the burial and final funeral rites for Margaret Yaa Kyeraa to June 13, 2026.
