Story highlights
Casey Kasem died last month, but has yet to be buried
Even before his death, his family was battling over his care
Kasem's daughter says she doesn't know where the body is; his wife says it's not missing
The family battle that surrounded radio host Casey Kasem during his final days continues to rage on after his death.
Although the 82-year-old passed away on June 15, his body has yet to be buried. Now, according to Danny Deraney, the publicist for Kasem’s daughter Kerri Kasem, the family doesn’t know where his body is.
“We are not surprised,” Kerri Kasem told to CNN. “We expected something like this to happen.”
Discord between Kasem’s wife of more than 30 years, Jean Kasem, and his adult children from his first marriage led to multiple legal clashes and court hearings in the months before to Kasem died.
Kerri Kasem was given a conservatorship over her father’s health, which Jean Kasem subsequently fought in court, claiming his children were prematurely ending their father’s life.
Deraney says Jean Kasem has now removed her husband’s body from a funeral home in Washington state.
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Before Kasem’s passing, Jean Kasem removed her ailing husband from a care facility in Santa Monica and took him on a cross-country car journey to stay at a home of family friends in Washington.
Sgt. Rudy Camarena with the Santa Monica Police Department declined to comment, telling CNN, “Mr. Kasem’s matter is an open and ongoing investigation.”
Meanwhile, Jean Kasem denies that her late husband’s body is missing.
“It’s not,” she told CNN. “Would you leave us to grieve in peace?”
Candace Corkum at the Gaffney Funeral Home in Tacoma, Washington, confirmed that the facility had been in possession of Casey Kasem’s body, but said that it was no longer in their care.
She could not provide information about the circumstances in which his body was removed from the funeral home.