The disagreement over Michael Hunter’s remains emerged as his family awaited the next steps in a double-homicide case.
ST. LOUIS — Days after an arrest in the fatal shooting of Michael Hunter aboard a MetroBus, his grieving family became divided over which funeral home should handle his remains and whether services already performed had been properly authorized.
Hunter’s mother, Yvette Watkins, wants his body transferred from Urban Undertakers Legacy & Cremation. The funeral home said Hunter’s father wants the arrangements to remain there, leaving the business caught between parents who have expressed conflicting wishes.
The dispute has added another source of distress for Watkins as she mourns her 24-year-old son and follows the criminal case connected to his death. Hunter and 52-year-old Rashad Rice were killed after gunfire erupted aboard a MetroBus in Breckenridge Hills on July 10.
Police said the shooting happened near St. Charles Rock Road and Wismer Road. Authorities later arrested 20-year-old Christopher Irving, who is accused of two counts of murder in the deaths. He was taken to the St. Louis County Justice Center and held on a $1 million bond. The accusations have not been proven in court.
As the criminal case moved forward, Watkins said she was trying to regain control of her son’s funeral arrangements. She said she explicitly instructed Urban Undertakers Legacy & Cremation not to retrieve Hunter’s body from the medical examiner’s office.
“I called and distinctly told him not to pick up Michael’s body, and I repeated myself three times,” Watkins said. She said the employee agreed that the funeral home would not make the removal.
Watkins said the funeral home retrieved the body despite those instructions. She also said she was told that approximately $3,000 would have to be paid for transportation, embalming and viewing services before the remains could be sent elsewhere.
Watkins said those services should not have been performed because she had withdrawn her permission. She said the resulting cost was preventing her from moving forward with the funeral home she preferred.
Urban Undertakers Legacy & Cremation denied acting without authorization. Its funeral director said Watkins came to the business with identification, signed paperwork and discussed arrangements. The director said Watkins later returned and told employees to continue with what had already been planned.
“I asked her 10 times what she would like for us to do before she incurred any other charges beyond the removal fee,” the director said. “Then she said, ‘You guys can proceed with what we already got planned.’”
The director said Hunter’s father separately expressed his desire to keep the arrangements at Urban Undertakers. The funeral home said both parents have a say in decisions involving their adult son’s remains, creating a conflict that employees could not resolve on their own.
A receptionist said Watkins did not initially ask the staff to pause while she consulted relatives or considered other options. The receptionist said the business continued working because employees believed they had received clear authorization.
“Had she said, ‘I’m hesitant. I’m unsure. I don’t know what I want to do. I need to speak with the family,’ she didn’t give us any disclaimer of hold or wait or pause,” the receptionist said.
Police who came to the funeral home told the family that both parents could agree on the arrangements or seek a decision through civil court, according to the information provided. Police did not decide which account of the authorization dispute was correct.
The disagreement remains separate from the criminal investigation into Hunter’s death. Publicly available information did not establish whether the parents later reached an agreement, whether the disputed fees were paid or whether Hunter’s body was transferred.
It also was not clear whether either side had filed a civil case seeking control of the arrangements. Until the family reaches an agreement or a court intervenes, the competing claims over Hunter’s funeral plans remain unresolved.
Author note: Last updated July 23, 2026.