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Munnings Takes Responsibility For Morgue Mixup, But Blames Subcontractor
posted (September 12, 2024)

And the man at the center of the fury is Andrew Munnnings of Munnings Funeral Services.

The family hired him to handle their loved ones funeral only to find out that instead of taking the body to the morgue for a post mortem - his subcontractor went and cremated it!

If you're in the undertaking business, that's as bad as it gets -and while Munnings accepts responsibility - he blames it on his subcontractor - who is also an undertaker operating out of Orange Walk. He told us about the exchange he had with the subcontractor yesterday:

Andrew Munnings, Munnings Funeral Home
"When he told me that Mr Talbert was cremated, I,I am like, but, what, what miscommunication could that have been. I called you to cancel a cremation but I also told you we also have a body to pick up. Even so before cremations happen there must be certain authorizations signed. Which means you be in hand with a death certificate which you did not have, you must be in hand with the social card of the deceased person and of the family member giving you full authorization to carry out that cremation, and you must also be in hand of an authorization with my signature, his mother's signature and witness signature. None of those three documents was in hand, at no point."

"And even if you say that it's a miscommunication, you own a funeral home, would you then just cremate a body without any proper documentation - even if you are telling me "ok, I misheard it, I kinda get something confused."Would you say, "ok, even if I get it confused I won't cremate someone without getting the3 proper authorization. Wouldn't you ask me then can I get the detach certificate and the full authorization form?"

"In that moment I did not know what to do. The best thing I could have said, I can render the best that I can to make this process be a little more, I want to use the word, easier. Because how I feel definitely is not compared to how the family feels."

"My only way forward now is to see how I can be of service to the family to transition he text way that we can through this one."

"When it comes to apologies, in all honesty, I don't even think that there's any words in this world that can cover for me of insurance to that family. Even if I offer anything to that family, that wouldn't be enough. Because the thing is you came from the states and you wanted to plan a funeral service for your son, you had your goals, you had your plans. Family members wanted to bid their final farewell, soh now you're home back and you, you have an urn, you know so what really can we say? The best thing that I can do going forward is guarantee the family that I am her sin whatever, and though whatever they need me through."

The family has completely withdrawn all funeral arrangements from Munnings Funeral Services.

Munnings says he has cut ties with the subcontractor.

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