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A family is seeking justice after a New Jersey funeral home allegedly dressed the wrong body in their deceased loved one's clothes and placed them in their casket.
According to Law&Crime, Boyd Funeral Home is facing a lawsuit, filed last month, alleging that workers put the wrong body in Addison Jenkins' clothes and claimed he was in the casket during a family viewing after he died in February 2023.
The case stems from the February 11, 2023 death of Jenkins, 81, according to court documents. Jenkins' family arranged a viewing with Boyd Funeral Home on February 18 followed by cremation, court documents state.
Jenkins' wife, Dorothy, brought his clothes and personal belongings to the funeral home days before the services. However, during the family's private viewing, loved ones “became immediately distressed and angered when they saw another unrecognizable corpse dressed in Addison’s clothes and belongings,” according to court documents.
“The plaintiffs were shocked, upset, confused, and full of tears,” the lawsuit states.
According to court documents, the family addressed the mix-up with an employee who then showed them text messages from the funeral director who "adamantly" stated, "the body was in fact Addison Jenkins."
Court documents state the makeup artist also told them the corpse was Addison. However, the family pointed out differences in the bodies including Addison’s cauliflower ear and an infection on his feet that weren't present on the unidentified corpse.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages for negligent infliction of emotional distress and mishandling of human remains.
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