UK:The man who cremated his father, then saw him turn up on telly

The man who cremated his father, then saw him turn up on telly

By Amol Rajan
Friday, 5 September 2008


A son who believed he had cremated his father five years ago was surprised to switch on his television and see a familiar, if older and greyer, face staring back at him.


John Renehan's father, John Delaney, went missing from his home in Oldham in 2000. Three years later, a badly decomposed corpse, adorned with clothes similar to those Mr Delaney was wearing when he vanished, was found in bushes at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Police failed to carry out DNA tests on the remains, but a coroner formally identified the body as that of Mr Delaney. His son organised his cremation soon after. Then, in April this year, Mr Renehan, an engineer, spotted his father in a BBC programme about missing people. It showed Mr Delaney living in a care home for the elderly, having completely lost his memory.
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