The listing agent facilitating the sale of Vereb Funeral Home in Harrison said he was unaware the owner was entangled in alleged criminal activity.
Patrick Vereb, 70, of Hazelwood was charged Monday by the state Attorney General’s Office with theft of almost $660,000 after taking money for pet cremations but disposing of the animals in landfills and also giving customers ashes that weren’t from their pets.
“We were made aware of the investigation the day he signed the agreement of sale,” Coldwell Banker agent Dan Haeck said.
That happened Friday, four days before news broke of allegations Vereb potentially defrauded more than 6,500 pet owners, according to authorities.
The charges sparked anger and grief from pet owners in the region who found out the remains they have likely aren’t their beloved pets.
Vereb owns funeral homes in Hazelwood and Harrison and Eternity Pet Memorial.
The fate of the Hazelwood facility is unclear.
The Harrison property is expected to have a new owner by summer, though Haeck did not say who that might be. The property is listed at $1.2 million.
Haeck expects a closing within six to eight weeks on the Freeport Road facility.
Vereb bought the property in 2023 for $400,000 and opened it in 2024 after renovations. He had been a funeral director elsewhere for nearly 50 years at that point.
He told TribLive in July, when the business was only open a month and a half, that pet services were a growing amenity and the site had served nearly 30 pet owners in that short time.
Private cremation services for pets ranged from $125 to $600.
The Attorney General’s Office said Vereb is being investigated on allegations he stole from customers who paid for pet cremations, burials, returns of ashes and other services between 2021 and 2024.
They would not comment on whether additional charges were pending.
Haeck said it is unclear what the prospective buyer plans to do with the property.
