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Family Raises Funds To Bring Daughter's Remains Back From South Korea

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) —The remains of a Sacramento woman who died in South Korea are finally coming back home.

Andrea Godina died on January 18 in Seoul, South Korea, where she was working as an English teacher. She was being treated at the hospital for a lung infection and flu that developed into pneumonia.

Her family said her remains were being held hostage at the hospital after administrators demanded full payment of Godina's nearly $14,000 bill before they would release her remains.

Godina's sister, Leticia Sisneros, told CBS13 Tuesday that $24,000 has been raised -- $7,000 from car washes -- to bring her home. Godina's body, accompanied by her mother, will be coming back to Sacramento on Thursday afternoon.

Because Andrea tested positive for the flu, she'll need to be cremated before she comes back to the U.S., her family says.

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