A mother in Hopkinsville, Kentucky said that a local funeral home held her infant’s body for payment.
UPI noted that Brittany Jones delivered a stillborn child and tried to collect his remains from Lamb Funeral Home. However, she claimed the owner, Dorris Lamb, who is also the county coroner, refused to release the body unless her family paid for the transportation.
Jones said that she does not have much money and cannot afford to bury her child so Todd County Funeral Home agreed to provide the service for free. When the funeral director from Todd County went to Lamb for the body though, he said he was turned away.
According to WSMV, Jones’ was so distraught that she called 911 hoping to get the authorities to intervene.
Dispatcher: "911, where is your emergency?"
Jones: "I need a sheriff dispatched to Lamb Funeral Home."
Dispatcher: "What's going on at Lamb's?"
Jones: "They have my baby and won't release him."
Dispatcher: "Who has your baby and won't release it?"
Jones: "Lamb Funeral Home. He cussed out the funeral director. We talked with him to get a price earlier - what it would cost to bury our baby, a little baby, and he won't release him to Todd County where we want him buried."
Dispatcher: "Why are they refusing to release the child?"
Jones: "He said that I owe him money, but he hasn't done any, provided any service. He hasn't planned the funeral. He wouldn't do anything until we come up with the money."
Lamb denied asking for payment and said that the funeral home released the child’s body as soon as it could. He offered an explanation for Jones' claim saying that grieving parents often “misinterpret” things.