UPDATE: The owner of the remains has come forward. DETAILS HERE
The startling discovery of a woman’s cremated remains has led to a mystery in Philadelphia.
A woman found the cremation box of Linda Upshur in a lot on the 2600 block of Oakdale Street in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city Sunday morning. According to the box, Upshur died on July 11, 2007 at the age of 64 and was cremated on July 24, 2007. It also lists the Ivy Hill Cemetery and Crematory on 1201 Easton Road in Philadelphia.
NBC10 first reached out to the Ivy Hill Cemetery. A representative from the cemetery told NBC10 they released Upshur's remains to a Philadelphia funeral home. NBC10 then reached out to the home but we have not yet heard back from them.
After checking the name, NBC10 found a 1976 article from the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper about a woman named Linda Upshur who lived in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia. According to the article, Upshur was a commercial credit analyst at Continental Bank in Center City as well as a musician with ties to the NAACP Youth Organization and the YWCA.
An NBC10 viewer also found a newspaper clipping of Upshur from the Pittsburgh Courier in 1962 reporting she had chosen to work in the U.S. Air Force and was also a volunteer worker with the Colorado Springs' School for the Deaf and Blind.
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NBC10 reached out to the Bryn Mawr Trust which took over Continental Bank, as well as the NAACP. While we have not yet heard back from Bryn Mawr, a local NAACP coordinator later contacted NBC10, claiming she went to church with Upshur and worked with her at Continental. The woman said Upshur was a "tremendous singer" but had lost track of her prior to her death. She also said the funeral home "should be ashamed of themselves" for what happened.
NBC10 also checked the last known addresses for Upshur in Philadelphia but did not find anyone who knew her.
Both NBC10 and the woman who found the box also contacted police who are not currently investigating but encourage anyone with information to call 911 and file a report.
If you are a friend or family member of Upshur or have any information on her, please call us at 610-668-5701.
