New Jersey mother learns missing son was dead and buried without her knowledge

Irvington, N.J. – A mother says she found out her beloved son she reported missing was dead and buried without her knowledge.

Omaira Merced, 53, spent a year searching for her son, Joel Ortiz, before learning the devastating truth.

Ortiz, 28, was discovered on a Newark street in September 2024, only two weeks after Merced began searching.

He died of cardiac arrest at University Hospital in Newark, but Merced did not learn of his death until September 2025.

Failure to Notify Next of Kin of Missing Son

According to a News 12 New Jersey report, University Hospital, Newark police, and Irvington police allegedly failed to notify Merced, even though fingerprints identified Ortiz.

Instead, Merced says she discovered the truth when an Irvington detective finally told her a year later.

Adding to her grief, Ortiz had been buried in an unmarked grave at a North Bergen cemetery without her knowledge.

A Mother’s Heartbreak

“If they had looked for the next of kin, they would have found me. Someone didn’t do their job,” Merced told News 12 New Jersey.

She added, “It was probably another person that they felt didn’t matter or didn’t have family.”

Legal Action Filed on behalf of Joel Ortiz

Merced has hired attorney Steve Haddad of the Haddad Law Firm.

“We are trying to make sure this doesn’t happen to any other family,” Haddad told News 12 New Jersey.

“This is something that is a basic level function for government and they clearly failed here. His mother at the very least deserves answers and accountability. Irvington delayed and for months, this family was left to search for Joel on their own.”

Merced intends to sue University Hospital, Newark and Irvington police departments for $100 million, per NJ.com.

Plans to Exhume and Rebury

Merced says she will have her son exhumed from the North Bergen cemetery.

She plans to transfer Ortiz to her family’s plot in Roselle, ensuring he rests with dignity.