Family says wrong person was put in their loved one’s casket

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - Georgia Robinson says when she and the rest of her family showed up at the wake for their loved one, Mary Jean Robinson, they immediately noticed that something was wrong, WLBT reports.

“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 said.

The family says the person lying in the casket was wearing the clothes and jewelry they bought for Mary Jean Robinson.

Georgia Robinson says she told the funeral home that the person in the casket was not her sister, but the casket, outfit, jewelry and flowers were for her sister.

“I didn’t know who that was in the casket,” she said.

Georgia Robinson says she asked to speak to the funeral home director.

“We’re telling him about the mistake, and he was very rude and very uncaring. He had an attitude with my son. (He) told us that we were going to have to pay for everything all over again,” she said.

Georgia Robinson says the funeral home eventually met some of their demands, including buying new clothes for Mary Jean Robinson, but never switched out the casket.

“I told him not to put anything on my sister that was on that lady. He put the earrings on her anyway,“ she said.

Georgia Robinson says the entire ordeal has taken a toll on her and her family.

“I feel terrible. Just to think, if we had a closed casket, we would have ended up burying someone else’s loved one instead of ours,” she said.

James Stewart, one of the directors at the funeral home, told WLBT that he could not confirm nor deny that the mix-up happened but says the family told him they were pleased with their services.

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