Ridiculous reason daughter is unable to retrieve her father’s body for burial THREE WEEKS after he died

A family was unable to bury their grandfather because his body had been held at the coroner’s office for three weeks and no one was available to sign for its release.

Kylie Underwood is desperately trying to recover the body of her father John Grant Griffiths, 77, who died on July 9 at Modbury Hospital in Adelaide’s north.

Mr Griffiths had been in hospital for 10 weeks with a variety of medical conditions, including pneumonia and dementia.

Mrs. Underwood said she has asked the coroner to release the body, but cannot for one frustrating reason.

“When I called the coroner, they told me they only have one forensic scientist who has to approve the release and they don’t know when that person will be back to work,” she told the Adelaide Advertiser.

“We just want the body released so we can bury him.”

Mr Griffith’s death was reported to the coroner as he was suffering from delirium at the time of his death.

This medical condition occurs when a person experiences a sudden change in their thinking and behavior.

The illness usually lasts for several days.

Under the South Australian judicial process, the body of a deceased person is typically released within 72 hours.

The time frame takes into account the formal identification and autopsy process.

The coroner decides whether an autopsy is necessary and a forensic pathologist carries out the process at Forensic Science SA.

Mrs Underwood claims the mortuary at Modbury Hospital was full, so Mr Griffith’s body was transferred to Lyell McEwin Hospital.

Mr Griffiths was a diesel mechanic and until his retirement ran his own small business called ‘Exhaust Plus’, a mechanical parts repair shop in Salisbury.

In his younger years he worked in the mines at Broken Hill in western New South Wales.

He is survived by his five children and ten grandchildren.

Mr Griffith’s daughter, Kylie Underwood (pictured), claims the coroner’s office only has one forensic scientist to sign off on the release and they don’t know when the person will return to work.

The coroner’s office said it could not comment on specific cases and that the time it takes to conduct a pathological examination depends on several factors.

“An investigation can only begin once all the necessary medical data has been received. Sometimes it may turn out that more information needs to be obtained,” a spokesperson said.

“In addition, the coroner’s office is dependent on the availability of medical professionals to perform pathological evaluations.”

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the coroner’s office for further comment.