AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/Gray News) - The Georgia family of a baby whose remains are unaccounted for is filing a lawsuit against a cemetery and a funeral home.

Jada Hickman was 6 months old when she died 23 years ago. Her parents, Kamaron Hickman and Fatima Nettles, chose to have her buried at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Augusta.

At the beginning of 2024, they made the difficult decision to exhume and cremate her remains.

As time passed, the two divorced and moved out of the area but said they wanted to keep Jada close.

Hickman and Nettles decided to exhume and cremate their daughter's remains to carry her with them. However, when it was time to dig, the groundskeeper at the cemetery said Jada's body was unable to be found in the plot the couple purchased.

Hillcrest Memorial Park reportedly told Jada's parents her body cannot be found "due to the passage of time."

A lawsuit was filed against the cemetery and Williams Funeral Home accuses them of mishandling Jada's remains.

Thousands of dollars later, the couple has still been left without answers and without their daughter.

WRDW reached out to Hillcrest Memorial and SCI Shared Resources, which owns and operates the cemetery.

A spokesperson responded, saying they could not comment on pending litigation.

A call to the funeral has not been returned.

There are 12 claims in the lawsuit, which accuses the cemetery and funeral home of negligence and causing emotional distress to Jada's family.

The lawsuit alleges both the cemetery and funeral home have not responded to Jada's family when they've asked for information and assistance.

The lawsuit said the family asks for a fair jury trial and to be paid any and all damages including money, pain and suffering.

While the family hopes this is the first step in getting answers, their end goal is to find their baby girl.

The Secretary of State's Office did confirm they have an active investigation of this case through their cemetery board, but could not provide more details.