Sacramento Funeral Home Sued for Sending Wrong Body to Family in El Salvador

The family of Francisco Quintanilla is currently suing La Paz Funeral Home in Sacramento, California, after they sent them the wrong body for a planned open-casket funeral in El Salvador.

According to the lawsuit, La Paz Funeral Services was responsible for properly embalming and transporting Francisco Quintanilla's body to El Salvador for burial.

However, upon arrival, the family discovered that the body sent was not Quintanilla's. The suit further alleges that the funeral home failed to properly embalm Quintanilla's body and employed unlicensed staff, leading to significant emotional distress for the family.

The family claimed it was never notified of the mix-up and only discovered the mistake when they opened the casket at the funeral service in El Salvador.

The family was then allegedly that "La Paz did not know the whereabouts of Quintanilla's remains" and not informed where his body really was for "days and days." They eventually heard back from La Paz, which located the body and sent it to El Salvador.

However, the lawsuit claims that once Quintanilla's body had arrived, it was in a "shocking state of decomposition," due to not being properly embalmed, making a proper funeral impossible.

"His skin had turned purple and was shriveled, his body was leaking fluids that soaked his clothing, and a horrible smell was emitting from the casket."

The Quintanilla family's attorney stated that this incident has caused immense pain and suffering, as they were unable to properly mourn and bury their loved one. The lawsuit seeks damages for negligence and infliction of emotional distress.

The family is now suing for damages, citing negligence, breach of contract, and emotional distress. "Our family planned to have an open casket service and to honor Francisco and say goodbye in El Salvadoran tradition. What happened instead was shocking and heartbreaking. Our final memory of Francisco is one we wish we could forget," said Quintanilla's wife Maria Mercedes Medjia de Quintanilla in a statement to CBS13.

The case has been filed in Sacramento Superior Court, with proceedings ongoing. ​