Family Claims Funeral Home Put Wrong Woman in the Casket at Loved One's Funeral: 'Something Was Kind of Off' The Robinson family was shocked when they arrived at Peoples Funeral Home in Jackson, Mississippi on November 3.

By Emily Rella Edited by Jessica Thomas

Key Takeaways

  • A family in Mississippi is alleging that a funeral home accidentally put the wrong deceased woman in the casket where their loved one was supposed to be.
  • The wrongfully placed woman had been adorned in clothes and jewelry set aside for the family's loved one.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Funerals can be a traumatizing experience for many, but showing up at the funeral home to see that a stranger has been accidentally placed in the casket where your loved one is supposed to be is a whole different ballgame.

Such was the case for the Robinson family in Jackson, Mississippi, on November 3 when they went to Peoples Funeral Home to attend the funeral of their family member Mary Jean Robinson.

"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, Mary Jean's sister, told local outlet WLBT.

An outside view of People's Funeral Home in Jackson, Mississippi (Google Maps)

The family had provided the funeral home with jewelry and an outfit that they wanted Mary Jean buried in, but a mix-up at the funeral home meant the items had been placed on another deceased woman.

Related: McDonald's Removes 'Tasteless' Ad Placed Next to Crematorium

The Robinson family took their concerns to the funeral director. "We're telling him about the mistake, and he was very rude and very uncaring," Georgia told the outlet. "He had an attitude with my son. [He] told us that we were going to have to pay for everything all over again."

Had the casket not been open at the service, the family would have accidentally buried the wrong woman, Georgia said.

Eventually, the funeral home agreed to purchase new clothes for Mary Jean to be buried in but did not switch the casket, Georgia told WLBT.

Peoples Funeral Home did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.

Related: This TikTok-Famous Funeral Director Might Bury 10 People a Day, But He Still Finds Time to Write Beautiful Songs

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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