A Detroit family says a funeral home displayed an unidentified woman wearing their late mother’s dress and wig during a viewing—and cremated their loved one before the family had a chance to say goodbye.
The children of 61-year-old Kimberly Moore told WXYZ that Hutchinson Funeral Home presented the unknown woman at Friday’s viewing, one day before Moore was scheduled to be buried.
“This is not my momma, sir,” Moore’s daughter, Bianca Robinson, recalled telling a funeral home employee after seeing the woman in the casket.
Robinson said she had gone to the funeral home to apply her mother’s nails and lashes when a mortuary worker allegedly asked, “Is this yo Mom?”
“And I’m looking like, ‘You should know,’” Robinson said of the employee’s question.
Another relative told FOX 2 that the woman was wearing Moore’s “dress, wig, everything,” but insisted she was not their mother.
“They tried to show us another lady. They opened the casket, it’s not her,” the devastated relative said.
Robinson said a funeral home employee then allegedly told the family, “I’m so sorry…your mom must have been cremated when she first got here because there were two ladies who came in when your mom came.”
“He said, ‘We must’ve cremated her,’” Robinson recalled.
The distraught daughter said she asked the staff, “How do you make a mistake like that?”
Relative Christopher Moore claimed the funeral home suggested that a toe tag may have become wet, fallen off and caused the two bodies to be mistakenly identified.
“We are heartbroken and deeply sorry for what Ms. Moore’s family has experienced. We are aware of the family’s concerns and we will continue to communicate with them honestly and respectfully,” Hutchinson Funeral Home said in a statement to FOX 2.
“We have launched our own internal review to determine exactly what happened and we will deal with it accordingly. Out of respect for Ms. Moore and her family, we ask that their privacy be honored during this time. We will share more when we can,” the statement continued.
Family members said Moore was scheduled to be cremated after Saturday’s funeral, allowing loved ones to view her and say goodbye first.
“We don’t have a viewing. What do we have? We don’t even have her ashes! Somebody please tell us something,” Robinson said.
The Post contacted Hutchinson Funeral Home for comment but had not received an immediate response.
