Family shocked to find dead man wrongly wearing loved ones’ clothes in coffin at funeral home

A New Jersey family has filed a lawsuit against a funeral home in the state after alleging that funeral directors placed the wrong body in their loved one’s clothes.

The terrible mistake was realized by the family when they paid their last respects and inspected the coffin before a public viewing.

Addison Jenkins died in February 2023 and chose Boyd Funeral Home of Camden, New Jersey to handle the funeral and subsequent cremation.

Jenkins’ widow took some of her late husband’s clothes to the funeral home in preparation for the funeral.

A New Jersey family has filed a lawsuit against Boyd Funeral Home in Camden after claiming funeral directors placed the wrong body in their loved one’s clothes.

The family of the late Addison Jenkins, 81, has accused Camden-based Boyd Funeral Home of negligence in handling her body and inflicting emotional distress

But the family says that days later, when relatives came to say goodbye, they noticed something unusual about Jenkins’ coffin.

‘At approximately 4pm on February 17, the plaintiffs (the Jenkins family) approached the coffin allegedly holding Addison and were immediately distressed and angry when they saw another unrecognizable corpse dressed in Addison’s clothes and belongings,’ the complaint alleges. .

‘The Plaintiffs were shocked, upset, confused and full of tears.’

At the time, the family claimed that the funeral director was not around to deal with the problem and instead, adding insult to injury, a lower-level employee claimed to have been shown a text message from the director stating that the body was that of Jenkins.

A makeup artist at the funeral home also assured the family that it was Jenkins’ body.

The family accused the funeral home of gaslighting and they and the workers ‘continued to disagree among themselves about whose body was in the coffin’.

The funeral director then sent photos to the family in an attempt to demonstrate that it was their loved one – but the family did not agree.

They explained how Jenkins had a cauliflower ear, while the other body did not. Additionally, an infection Jenkins had on his feet did not appear to be visible.

Days later, on the very day of the public viewing, the family asked the funeral director to open the coffin once again – only this time it was Jenkins in the coffin.

Days later, on the very day of the public viewing, the family asked the funeral director to open the coffin once again – only this time it was Jenkins in the coffin (file photo)

‘As a result of the foregoing, the plaintiffs were emotionally disturbed. The plaintiffs were denied the right to mourn the death of their deceased loved one and, in addition, were found to have suffered severe and ongoing emotional distress,” the complaint says.

The family went further, stating how, as a result of Boyd Funeral Home’s alleged “negligent acts and omissions,” they “have suffered and continue to suffer severe distress and emotional harm.”

The funeral home is accused of ‘failing to use the accepted degree of professional skill as others in the same profession(s) and communities, constituting negligence and causing the infliction of severe emotional distress to Plaintiffs.’

The family is now demanding a jury trial in the case, along with damages.

“What happened to the Jenkins family and their late loved one, Addison Jenkins, is disturbing and reprehensible,” Michael Shaw, an attorney representing the family, said in a statement.

“To twist the knife, after the Jenkins family informed the funeral home of the wrongful conduct, the callous response was to point the blame at my clients, persistently telling them that the wrong, unidentified body was that of their deceased loved one. Lighting a grieving family after displaying the wrong corpse is cruel and ignoble.’