Funeral home launches internal review after woman was mistakenly cremated

DETROIT – Hutchison Funeral Home has launched an internal review after the family of a woman who died from endometrial cancer said her body was mistakenly cremated before her scheduled viewing.

In a statement, the funeral home said it is communicating with the family and reviewing what happened.

“We are heartbroken and deeply sorry for what Ms. Moore’s family has experienced,” the statement said. “We are aware of the family’s concerns and we will continue to communicate with them honestly and respectfully. 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.”

Detroit family says woman was mistakenly cremated before funeral viewing—>

The family of Kimberlly Moore, a mother of five and grandmother of 28, says she passed away Sept. 3. Her loved ones arrived at Hutchison Funeral Home for a viewing scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 18.

Moore’s daughter, Bianca Robinson, said she went to the funeral home before the viewing to apply her mother’s makeup. Robinson said she asked to see Moore’s body and noticed that a mole on her mother’s toe was missing when an employee unzipped the body bag.

“I said this is not my mama, sir,” Robinson recalled.

Robinson said an employee then told her Moore may have been cremated after arriving at the funeral home. The family has questioned how such a mix-up could occur and said they have received conflicting information about whether Moore’s ashes were available.

“We don’t have answers. We don’t have a viewing. What do we have? We don’t even have her ashes,” Robinson said previously.

Mario Morrow, a public relations representative for Hutchison Funeral Home, previously declined to answer specific questions from reporters but said the business would investigate.

“We’re going to get to the bottom of it, and if the funeral home is found at fault, we’re going to make the family whole. It’s just a bad situation,” Morrow said.

Morrow also said the funeral home was working to identify the woman whose body was prepared for Moore’s viewing.

The family is asking anyone who believes the woman may be their loved one to contact Hutchison Funeral Home.