A Bay Area woman is speaking out about the day she was told her father had died and the day years later she found out he is still very much alive.
The story begins at the Dahlia Hotel in San Francisco’s Tenderloin in 2021. A man identified by the San Francisco Medical Examiner as James Robinson died from a drug overdose. Robinson’s family was later notified.
Earlier this year, a family friend saw a man walking along a San Francisco street that turned out to be the same man who was supposedly dead: James Robinson.
Robinson’s daughter, who did not want to use her name, told NBC Bay Area that she was devastated by the news of her father’s death, opted for cremation and made an altar in her home with her father’s ashes.
Leading up to Robinson's reported death, his daughter said that she saw him often and she tried to help him with his drug addiction. But Robinson refused to leave the Tenderloin neighborhood.
The medical examiner's report said the mix-up began when the deceased was identified by hotel staff as "James Robinson."
The San Francisco City Administrator released the following statement on Tuesday: “This does not reflect the high standards of our office. Upon learning the facts, we promptly submitted the subject’s DNA to the State to assist in the correct identification of the decedent. The City is investigating and working with the family to address the situation.”
Robinson's daughter said she’s considering legal action. NBC Bay Area legal analyst Steven Clark said she could claim negligence.
“The primary recovery would be for the emotional distress and the lost years that she no longer had with her father,” Clark said.
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Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of San Francisco’s Coalition on Homelessness, said this is a great reminder that people on the street have family.
“They have children, they have parents, they have siblings who love them, and they are struggling to survive,” she said.
As for James Robinson, his daughter told NBC Bay Area that she tracked him down in the Tenderloin several months ago, but he has since disappeared. She has started a GoFundMe campaign for his recovery should she find him again.
