A Family Found a Stranger in Their Dad’s Casket and the Funeral Home Tried to Convince Them They Were Wrong

A New Jersey family is demanding justice after a funeral home allegedly used the wrong body for a viewing.

By Sammi Caramela

Before passing away at age 81 early last year, Addison Jenkins of Glassboro, New Jersey, selected Boyd Funeral Home in Camden to host his services, according to the New York Post. When his family arrived before the public services, they quickly realized it was not Jenkins’s body in the casket. Now, the family is demanding justice.

“At or around 4:00 p.m. on February 17th, Plaintiffs approached the casket supposedly holding Addison and became immediately distressed and angered when they saw another unrecognizable corpse dressed in Addison’s clothes and belongings,” the complaint read. “The Plaintiffs were shocked, upset, confused and full of tears.”

To make matters worse, both the funeral home director and makeup artist insisted they used the right body, with the director texting photos as proof, according to the lawsuit. When the family compared their loved one’s features to that of the body in the casket, they quickly identified key differences.

For one thing, they said, Jenkins had medical conditions that would have been evident—had it been the right one. Still, the funeral home workers allegedly argued with the grieving family about the accuracy of their claims.

Before the services began the next day, the family confirmed the correct body was in the casket. They say the other had been switched out.

“What happened to the Jenkins family and their late loved one, Addison Jenkins, is disturbing and reprehensible,” Michael Shaw, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, wrote in a statement shared with People on Tuesday, Oct. 22. “Gaslighting a grieving family after displaying the wrong corpse is cruel and ignoble.”

The family is alleging negligent infliction of emotional distress and mishandling of human remains, and they’re seeking compensation and punitive damages, according to the suit.

By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from VICE Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

By Anna Merlan

By Mack Lamoureux

By Roc Morin

By Simon Davis

By Kyle Phillippi

By Dwayne Jenkins

By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from VICE Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

By Sammi Caramela

By Paige Gawley

By Dwayne Jenkins

By Dwayne Jenkins