A family was left devastated and shocked when they discovered a stranger’s body in their loved one’s casket, leading to one relative suffering a heart attack. The incident unfolded during Joey Espinosa’s funeral service at a California funeral home, where his aunt, Laura Levario, realized that the wrong casket was present and the body inside was not her nephew’s.
The distressing situation caused Laura’s husband to experience a heart attack due to the extreme stress, landing him in the hospital on life support for three days. Following the initial mix-up, the family was relocated to another room within the funeral home, only to find yet another incorrect casket awaiting them, prolonging their agony.
Forest Lawn Covina Hills funeral home attributed the mistake to a “scheduling error” and offered the family a $200 compensation, which fell far short of the nearly $20,000 funeral expenses. Consequently, the Espinosa family is taking legal action against the mortuary, citing emotional distress and negligence.
Their attorney criticized the funeral home’s mishap, stating that instead of grieving their loss, the family was left searching for their loved one’s body, expecting a higher level of professionalism from a reputable establishment like Forest Lawn. In a separate incident, two sisters were shocked to discover a stranger dressed in their mother’s clothes in a coffin at a different funeral home, prompting a mix-up that was eventually rectified, allowing the funeral service to proceed as planned.