It only took Dr. Allen Cusack about five minutes to reply to my email. He said:
Good Afternoon,
We are still awaiting a response from Dr. Peele, which I should have before the close of business today. As soon as he signs off, we will have the cremation completed and will send your mother to you. I will also need an address for your sister to send her the partial cremains you requested.
Usually, the process does not take this long, however, it seems that the more they examine this situation, the better it will be for you and your sister in the long run. It would be helpful to provide you the necessary closure and have ALL the answers needed.
I replied to Allen at 3:15 PM Pacific:
Dear Allen,
On August 17th at about 11:30 AM (Eastern) I spoke with Chris Boden at the office of the Volusia County Medical Examiner. He told me that his office had been in contact with Dr. Peele and informed the doctor that they would not be taking jurisdiction of my mother’s body and would not be performing an autopsy.
Mr. Boden told me that when Dr. Peele received this information, the doctor agreed that he would sign my mother’s death certificate.
The number for the office of the Volusia County Medical Examiner is (386) 258-4060.
Dr. Peele’s phone number is [redacted].
I hope this information helps.
Allen replied to me at 7:54 AM Pacific on August 31st with:
It does. Great!! Thank you