By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Kirotv.com reports a local family opened the casket to say their final good byes to a loved one and found the wrong dead man inside.
News reporter Richard Thompson reports he learned that Jerry Moon instead had been cremated; and Chehalis’s Brown Mortuary’s parent company declined to comment.
Read about it here.
When making arrangements with Brown Mortuary, per my husband wishes, arranged for cremation with no embalming. The director then , looked at me & said if you don’t have him embalmed, we will have to keep him on ice for three days, while waiting for him to be taken to Olympia. I was in shock both, because of my husbands unexpected passing & to be talk in an uncaring manner. My response , then keep him on ice. I know my husband would of understood. blackmail it is called. When I picked up his personal items , the envelope was un ended and the items were just dumped on the table, scattering every where. Bad memories at a time of grief. Prayers for the Moon family.
I am not sure of protocols in this situation, but I wouldn’t necessarily jump to conclusions about the bag. It’s possible they keep a bag on to preserve the makeup until the viewing, and this body wasn’t scheduled for this service. Not sure why no one caught the mistake earlier however, especially since a picture was in the casket with him.
I saw that this has already made national news…there is no way there isn’t going to be a lawsuit now that it’s gotten the nation’s attention. Let the finger-pointing begin!
My question for the day. Why bag the head if it wasn’t a cover-up somewhere? No pun intended. My heart goes out to both families. Many yrs ago under the old ownership of Browns, I very unhappy with the handling of my husband remains & personal items. In the future use the funeral home in Winlock. Very caring.
Yet, after re-reading the article, it said that a picture was placed beside the casket… even if it was 20+ years old, wouldn’t that be clue? Also, a bag was left on the head, sloppy work or a “cover”? Either way, unless Brown’s was only “delivery and set-up” it seems that they would share at least that much of the burden.
From the comments on the kirotv article: “Brown Mortuary in Chehalis is the Funeral Home, but Dahl-Mcvicker in Kelso is the Funeral home that picked the deceased up”. Maybe a middle man issue. I don’t know anything about either company.
abra cadaver
99% of the time, I frown upon the ‘Sue them!’ mindset. 99% of the time, I think that response is just so much low-class profiteering, that there has to be a better way to deal with things.
This case is the 1% exception. Sue those fools down to their socks.
Shame on Brown’s Mortuary, I know the family very well and I am deeply saddened for them. Brown’s Mortuary should be deeply “ass”hamed of your actions. The Moon Family you’re all in my prayers and I’m sorry for your loss.
I’ll NEVER take my loved ones to BROWN’S MORTUARY!!!
I agree, bustybabe. Right now there’s more buck passing going on than at a craps table in Vegas, but I can’t believe there WON’T be a lawsuit filed for this. And the Moon family has every reason to do so.
too, he was about to be buried, in a family plot which was not his own. the family would forever, be taking care of a strangers grave. where was the ashes, of the other man to be taken to? this is terrible…
THIS SOUNDS LIKE A BIG LAWSUIT!!!I
!!WOW!!
That’s one of those things you just can’t make right.