San Francisco officials admit woman’s father is not dead three years after she was given his ashes

Kylie Robinson was told in 2021 by the San Francisco medical examiner that her father, James Robinson, had overdosed in a hotel room in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood

James Robinson (pictured) was spotted alive on a street in San Francisco after officials wrongly identified him as dead (Kylie Robinson/GoFundMe)

A shocked daughter says that San Francisco officials have admitted that her father is still alive three years after he was mistakenly declared “dead” and the family had a body cremated.

Kylie Robinson was told on May 9 2021 by the San Francisco medical examiner that her father, James Robinson, had overdosed in a hotel room in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

She organized for what she thought was her father’s body to be cremated, along with a funeral, and even posted a GoFundMe to “celebrate his life and all the wonderful memories”.

However, in an updated GoFundMe, Kylie shared the massive error made by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

In her post on Tuesday Kylie said: “They told me I only had a certain amount of days to come up with the money to cremate or set up burial services.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in San Francisco (pictured) misidentified Kylie Robinsons’ father (Google Street View)

“I set up cremation services for him and we held a funeral a couple of weeks later.

“We spent 3 years grieving and mourning the loss of our dad. Taking his ashes with us everywhere.”

Kylie only discovered her dad was alive after a friend spotted him alive on the street – while the identity of the man who overdosed in the hotel room in 2021 remains unknown.

Upon searching for her father she shared that he was in “very very poor health” as his monthly disability checks had been halted due to being marked as dead by authorities.

She disclosed to The Chronicle that her father had become addicted to fentanyl.

Describing her traumatic ordeal, she said authorities informed her that her father had not had his fingerprints taken, so they sent her a picture of a body to confirm whether it was James Robinson.

“And it in fact…. was not my dad,” she said.

“We are trying to raise money to get our dad off the street. He needs housing and rehabilitation. He needs clothes and personal hygiene items. He has nothing.. we are trying to help with what we can, but being very young we don’t have a lot to offer.”

San Francisco police are alleged to have made errors after The Chronicle reported James Robinson had been arrested by mistake in 2022 but was released when records “indicated he was dead” said the paper.

In a statement issued to NBC, The San Francisco City Administrator said: “This does not reflect the high standards of our office.

“Upon learning the facts, we promptly submitted the subject’s DNA to the State to assist in the correct identification of the decedent. The City is investigating and working with the family to address the situation.”

Kylie hoped authorities would seek to rectify the error but had to post a desperate donation page due to not having the money to defend her family in an attorney case.

The Independent contacted The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the San Francisco City Administrator’s Office, and the San Francisco Police Department for comment.