Sacramento Funeral Home Allegedly Delivers Wrong Body to Family

A Sacramento funeral home allegedly delivered the wrong body to Francisco Quintanilla’s family. The family, expecting to transport his remains to El Salvador, found a stranger’s body at the funeral. The lawsuit claims incompetence on the part of La Paz Funeral Services, resulting in severe emotional distress for the Quintanilla family.
A funeral home in Sacramento, California, is facing serious accusations after allegedly delivering a stranger’s body to the family of deceased Francisco Quintanilla, who wanted to send his remains back to El Salvador. After immigrating from El Salvador following a civil war, Quintanilla became a U.S. citizen and worked tirelessly to support his wife and three children still residing in El Salvador.
Quintanilla’s family chose La Paz Funeral Services for the arrangements, which promoted services including international shipping and processing embassy paperwork. However, Rob Marcereau, representing the Quintanilla family, stated that rather than a proper funeral, they faced a traumatic experience.
On the day of the funeral, the family discovered an unfamiliar body when they opened the casket. Marcereau described it as a “nightmare” for the family, who had intended to honor Quintanilla with a meaningful farewell. Upon informing La Paz about the mix-up, the family was instructed to return the wrong body to the airport, as the funeral home reportedly had no knowledge of Quintanilla’s location.
Two weeks later, La Paz located Quintanilla’s remains, but upon arrival in El Salvador, the family encountered a shocking sight: his body was severely decomposed. The lawsuit accuses La Paz’s management and staff of incompetence and alleged that they failed to fulfill the promised services while taking advantage of the grieving family.
Marcereau pointed out that the family’s last memory of Francisco is now marred by this unsettling experience, stating, “Their final memory of Francisco is this horrifying image that they will never be able to erase.” To date, the family has not received any refunds, and their efforts to engage with the funeral service have been unsatisfactory.
The case against La Paz Funeral Services illustrates significant failures in funeral management, with serious emotional and psychological impacts on the Quintanilla family. The allegations detail a grave mishandling of remains and lack of adequate support for grieving families. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of trust and responsibility in funeral services, especially within vulnerable communities.
Original Source: www.whsv.com