KINGSLAND, Ga. — Action News Jax learned a husband and wife who worked at a Southeast Georgia pet cremation business were arrested for theft by deception after a complaint alleged they were charging customers for false pet remains.
The Kingsland Police Department arrested Amanda and Nader Rayan with Compassionate Care Pet Cremation on August 26.
There was an active scene of Kingsland Police officers digging into the land behind the business on Thursday, and the Kingsland Police confirmed there was an active investigation.
“When I opened up the ashes — inside of the ashes, not just in the container — inside with the ashes was a tag that said ‘George’ and it had a nine-digit number,” said Tiscione. “I don’t know who George is. My dog is Tucker!”
When Alli Tiscione lost her 9-year-old dog Tucker last year, her world was turned upside down. But now her pain is worse. She is one of the victims listed in a Kingsland Police investigation.
Action News Jax obtained a copy of the Kingsland Police Case Report which dates back to July of this year. One customer told Kingsland police in this report that he believed the Rayans were “charging customers for false remains that were actually ashes from a burn pit located behind the business.”
The report also notes that the officer and the customer “expressed doubt regarding the authenticity of the remains” of his dog.
This was also a concern of Alli’s with her dog Tucker’s ashes after she was contacted by Kingsland police last month.
“Once I told them about the tag and the nine-digit number, the officer said the nine-digit number is something that is only with human remains and human ashes,” said Tiscione. “So immediately when I told him that, he wanted to come pick up the ashes… I don’t know that anything has happened with them yet, but his first reaction was “these don’t look like the right color.”
This isn’t the first time the Rayans have had legal troubles for something like this.
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In 2016, Nader Rayan was arrested and charged with mishandling of a human body, grand theft, and organized fraud while working at Beaches Memorial Cemetery in Atlantic Beach.
In the arrest report, one of the customers claims that they “purchased a grave marker from Nader Rayan for his mother’s…grave.”
After paying in full, the report says “as of this date, the marker has not been placed on the grave site.”
Nader pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months for organized fraud and other charges. Amanda was charged with making false statements on death certificates, but those charges were dropped.
For Alli, she said she is still looking for closure after losing her dog Tucker — and left uncertain if the Rayans actually provided her with his remains.
“It makes me sick to think that in a moment when you trust these people to care for your pet and for you, and they completely took advantage of that,” Tiscione said. “It’s a gut-wrenching feeling.”
Compassionate Care Pet Cremation is owned by Stephen Kuzniar. We reached out to the Rayans, who are out on bond, and Kuzniar for comment. Amanda Rayan reached out to the station and denied allegations regarding the remains, claiming the theft by deception charge was referring to a stolen shed. Kuzniar has been playing phone tag with us.
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