Funerals can be a traumatizing experience for many, but showing up at the funeral home to see that a stranger has been accidentally placed in the casket where your loved one is supposed to be is a whole different ballgame.
Such was the case for the Robinson family in Jackson, Mississippi, on November 3 when they went to Peoples Funeral Home to attend the funeral of their family member Mary Jean Robinson.
“Once we got in there and signed the books and everything, we were walking down to view her body, and I knew something was kind of off. I could tell that it wasn’t her from far back,” Georgia Robinson, Mary Jean’s sister, told local outlet WLBT.
An outside view of People’s Funeral Home in Jackson, Mississippi (Google Maps)
The family had provided the funeral home with jewelry and an outfit that they wanted Mary Jean buried in, but a mix-up at the funeral home meant the items had been placed on another deceased woman.
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The Robinson family took their concerns to the funeral director. “We’re telling him about the mistake, and he was very rude and very uncaring,” Georgia told the outlet. “He had an attitude with my son. [He] told us that we were going to have to pay for everything all over again.”
Had the casket not been open at the service, the family would have accidentally buried the wrong woman, Georgia said.
Eventually, the funeral home agreed to purchase new clothes for Mary Jean to be buried in but did not switch the casket, Georgia told WLBT.
Peoples Funeral Home did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur‘s request for comment.
