Mired in bureaucracy even beyond the grave, the ashes of a globetrotting American "peace cyclist" killed in a hit-and-run in the Ivanovo region over the summer are stuck in Russia, RIA Novosti reported Thursday.
Ron McGerity, 61, made a name for himself by cycling through more than 50 countries to raise money for various charities, advocating for peace along the way. He was killed in a collision with a drunk driver on July 24 while riding his bike along a federal highway from Kostroma to Ivanovo in central Russia.
The driver was later apprehended and determined to have been drunk behind the wheel. The case against him is still ongoing.
McGerity's body was cremated at the request of his relatives, who had asked the regional government to return the cyclist's ashes by mail.
But after Ivanovo officials sent the remains off to the U.S., the package was promptly returned. The postal service claimed that the ashes had not been accompanied by proper documentation, RIA Novosti reported Thursday, citing an unidentified spokesperson from the regional government.
"The post has returned the urn to us. They required a great deal of documents that we still don't have, and we will need to start over again, from the crematorium," the spokesman was cited as saying.
No details were provided on what specific documents were required or how long they would take to get. It was also unclear what shipping company had been hired to transport the ashes.
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