FOLEY — Families that reported they were victimized while mourning the loss of loved ones say they are pleased law enforcement took action and arrested a Foley funeral home director.
Timothy Street, the former director of Pine Rest Funeral Home, was arrested last month and charged with first-degree financial exploitation of the elderly. The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office said the arrest came after multiple families filed reports claiming they paid for headstones they never received. Investigators said more charges are possible.
In the meantime, Pine Rest Funeral Home has worked with the families to deliver their headstones.
Deborah Nelson was the first alleged victim to come forward. After her mother, Dora Amos, passed away, she paid $3,150 for a headstone in January 2024. Her check was cashed, but the headstone never arrived. After being told various stories about why the headstone was not delivered, Nelson filed a police report and a complaint with the Alabama Board of Funeral Services. For months, Nelson told 1819 News she didn't feel she was being taken seriously. But after gathering multiple families with the same story, she felt her fight was gaining traction.
"It just grew from there and so we told them to make a police report, then it just made our report more powerful," Nelson said. "Like, 'Oh wait a minute. She's not the only one. She's not just out here because she's mad. There might be something here.' And then I still think there was a little bit of disbelief until they were able to get a hold of the financial side of it, and then I think they were like, 'Oh, Lord, this is something."
Nelson and her family now have a headstone.
"I'm very thankful for the Baldwin County Sheriff's Department for listening and then the people coming forward," Nelson added. "I'm very thankful for also the funeral home who came down. They didn't waste time, and they started – before they could even really investigate – they started filling these headstones for all of us who had made complaints."
Aimee O'Cain also received the headstone for her 24-year-old daughter's grave, more than six years after the death.
Hadyn O'Cain Griffin had her whole life ahead of her but was tragically killed in a car crash on Dec. 12, 2019. O'Cain had been dealing with unimaginable loss that was compounded when she completed payments for a headstone that was not delivered. After hearing of the arrest of the funeral home director, O'Cain said she is hopeful someone will be held accountable.
"I'm feeling relieved and appreciative that somebody's taking justice to the next level and that these people, including myself, should not have suffered through this in our darkest hours," O'Cain said. "That was such an awful thing to do to people."
O'Cain's headstone arrived the day before Mother's Day. She said it felt like a gift to have a place to go and honor the life of her child.
According to court documents, Street is accused of taking approximately $13,000 from an elderly person for the purchase of a headstone in March 2024. As of April 2026, the headstone had not been purchased.
Nelson said she has heard from more than a dozen possible victims, and she hopes more charges will be filed.
Detectives said the owners of Pine Rest Funeral Home were fully cooperative and acted immediately to notify families.
Street is considered innocent until proven guilty.
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