By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — A third person’s remains, the ashes of a China Grove man who died April 8, are still inside what’s left of Lyerly Funeral Home.
Authorities have not been able to reach the urn since a fire destroyed the building Friday.
“We’ll probably be able to get in there tomorrow and locate it,” Brent Lyerly, president of the funeral home, said Sunday.
The urn contains the ashes of Korean War veteran Charles Benson, 79.
Funeral services for Benson, a Rowan County native, were set for 2 p.m. Sunday at a Woodleaf church, but they have been delayed until the urn can be recovered.
The funerals of two sisters who died Wednesday went on as scheduled Saturday after officials retrieved their bodies from the charred building.
Effie Leazer Stiller, 91, and Marie Leazer Miller, 84, were placed in new caskets for funeral services attended by family and friends.
The investigation into the cause of the fire will resume today, with the help of additional resources and heavy equipment to ensure the building is safe to enter.
The State Bureau of Investigation’s Arson Investigation unit is working with the Rowan County Fire Marshal’s office and Salisbury Police Department on the investigation.
Lyerly has said the fire started shorly after he turned on the heat Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.