“I’m never going to get a dime from them, so, I don’t know, it’s a little frustrating,” Crystina Page, who hired the funeral home to cremate her son’s remains in 2019, told the Associated Press.

Ms Page, who carried what she thought were her son’s ashes for four years before his body was identified at the home, also said the couple’s non-appearance in court felt like a slap in the face.

The victims’ lawyer, Andrew Swan, told AP that while the couple’s financial position was known from the outset, his clients wanted answers.

“I would have preferred that they participate, if only because I wanted to put them on the witness stand, have them put under oath and ask them how they came to do this, not once, not twice, but hundreds…