FUNERAL HOME ACCUSED OF CREMATING WRONG MAN
WILMINGTON, Del. — Bell Funeral Home, located in Wilmington since the 1930s, is accused in a lawsuit of accidentally cremating 93-year-old Roland Johnson Sr. and presenting another man’s body for burial. Johnson, a retired DuPont executive chef, passed away in January. His family, expecting a traditional burial, were horrified to discover the body presented was not their father’s. Daughter Darla Chase identified the error, noticing the man’s distinct physical differences.
Despite the daughter’s insistence, the funeral home claimed it was Johnson. The family’s internet search confirmed the body belonged to another man who had been cremated previously. The funeral home eventually acknowledged the mix-up but denied any intentional wrongdoing. Johnson’s ashes were retrieved, and he was laid to rest as intended. The lawsuit, citing emotional distress and negligence, seeks accountability from the funeral home. An attorney for the funeral home did not return DETV’s phone call seeking comment.
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