Funeral Home Faces Lawsuit Over Disturbing Mishandling of Stillborn Baby’s Remains

A Florida couple has secured a default summary judgment in their case against a funeral home, which they claim mishandled the remains of their stillborn son. The couple alleges that the funeral home improperly embalmed their baby and placed other bodies on top of him.

Alicia Richard and Namarcus Crane, the parents of Na-mir Crane who was stillborn on April 9, 2025, initiated a negligence lawsuit in July against Freeman Funeral Home and Cremation, located in Pompano Beach.

Following Na-mir’s passing, Richard and Crane paid $500 to the funeral home for embalming and other arrangements. However, within two weeks, they allege that the funeral home failed to provide even basic care, leading to the deterioration of their son’s “fragile body.”

The couple arranged for another funeral home to collect Na-mir’s remains. Upon arrival, the representative reportedly encountered “inhumane and horrifying” conditions, according to the lawsuit.

In an interview with NBC Miami, Crane and Richard expressed their distress, stating that their son was “unrecognizable.”

“Only way he found our son is because he saw a little toe sticking under a grown human male,” Crane told the outlet.

Plaintiff lawyer Jesse O’Hara wrote that the boy’s remains were “crushed beneath the body of a deceased adult male, reportedly over six feet tall and weighing in excess of 200 pounds.”

“Multiple bodies were haphazardly stacked in blatant disregard for industry standards and basic human dignity,” he said.

Na-mir was unsuitable for an open casket, the lawsuit alleges.

“Defendant’s actions and omissions deprived Plaintiffs of the sacred opportunity to grieve and honor their son through the rites of their faith, causing profound and lasting emotional trauma,” O’Hara wrote.

Broward County Circuit Judge Michael Robinson in January entered a default summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs after the defendants failed to appear for a court hearing. An evidentiary hearing to determine damages is slated for April 28.

“I’ve handled a lot of cases, and this one sticks out to me,” O’Hara told WTVJ.

The experience has been devastating for Crane and Richard.

“We don’t have anything to remember him by; it hurt us even more every day waking up,” Crane told the TV station. “It hurts, can’t get it back, very painful.”

Richard concluded: “It crushed my soul.”