A family that says the wrong body was buried in their mother's plot is suing a New York funeral home for $88 million

Funeral coffin — Two of the siblings said they were not taken seriously when raising concerns.
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A family is suing a Long Island funeral home for burying the wrong body in their mother's plot.
CBS New York reported that the 11 siblings are seeking $88 million.
Two of the siblings said they told the funeral director that the body wasn't their mother's.

A family is suing a funeral home in Long Island, New York, for reportedly burying the wrong body in their mother's plot.

CBS New York reported that the 11 children of Sadie Williams, who died August 17, are seeking $88 million from the Joseph A. Slinger-Hasgill Funeral Home in Amityville.

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in Queens.

Two of the siblings told the outlet they made it very clear to the funeral director that the body they were shown was not their mother. "I said, 'Those aren't my mother's nails. Her burn mark is not on her arm,'" Salimah Lee said.

"When I first walked in, I said, 'That's not Mom.' … He insisted that it was," Lee's brother said. "I just kept picking out different things," he added.

He continued: "And he stood at the top of the steps of the funeral home, laughing, going, 'Oh, I hear that all the time. They tell me. People say that all the time. The embalming fluid smooths them out.'"

The Joseph A. Slinger-Hasgill Funeral Home did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Three days after the service for 87-year-old Williams, Lee said he received a phone call from the funeral director who said they were right all along.

"Every single time I think about it, all I can see is my mother on that cold slab, naked … and he showed no concern when he opened that door and I saw her, just stark naked on the table, just sitting there, like she was waiting for me to find her," Lee said, per the outlet.

According to CBS New York, Williams' body was supposed to be buried within 72 hours, in accordance with Muslim tradition. The burial has now turned into 22 days.

Burial mistakes have also made headlines in the UK. This month, a family was angered and horrified after their parents grave was dug up by mistake and then used to bury another body, Yorkshire Post reported.

In August 2020, hospital bosses in Carlisle, England, launched an investigation after a mix-up with bodies meant a family unknowingly held a funeral service for the wrong person, News and Star reported.

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