A Georgia woman who organized funeral services for her late grandmother was informed by the mortuary that the person in the casket was not her grandmother.
Marva Lynch used Donald Trimble Mortuary in Decatur after her beloved 95-year-old grandmother, Lucy Mae Johnson, died in July 2023.
Lynch provided the mortuary with a burial outfit and wig, but requested that the casket be closed. When the services were finished, someone from the mortuary informed Lynch that the body in the casket for her grandmother’s funeral was not her grandmother’s.
Lynch is now suing the funeral home.
A lawsuit obtained by local Fox affiliate WAGA alleges that the mortuary admitted to Lynch after the funeral that they “dressed the wrong body in the wig and clothes” before placing the body in the casket.
According to a lawsuit filed on May 1 in DeKalb County, Lynch briefly examined the casket before the funeral but did not take a close look due to “previous trauma from her mother’s death.” Because the casket was closed for services, no one else could see who was actually inside.
According to the lawsuit, a mortuary employee informed Lynch that the body in the casket was a stranger dressed in Johnson’s wig and clothes by mistake. The lawsuit alleges that this conversation occurred after the funeral.
Lynch paid approximately $9,000 for funeral services at Donald Trimble Mortuary, which is now facing allegations of negligence, mishandling human remains, and breach of contract.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to cover funeral costs, emotional distress, punitive damages, and court costs.
Law&Crime contacted Lynch’s attorney, Jonathan W. Johnson, and Donald Trimble Mortuary, but did not receive an immediate response.
