The firm Fieger Law plans to hold a press conference Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 1 p.m. regarding a recent high-profile mix-up at a Detroit funeral home.
Fieger Law has been retained on behalf of the family
who came forward saying their relative had been cremated by mistake at Hutchison Funeral Home.
Just days later, on Sept. 24, Joseph Hutchison Jr., vice president of the business, was found dead in his home.
Authorities have not linked his death to the reported error, and details surrounding it have not been made public. Detroit police confirmed to the Free Press that they're not investigating any criminality related to the matter.
The family of Kimberly Moore had gone to the funeral home before a scheduled viewing when one of Moore's daughters realized the woman in the casket was not her mother, WXYZ-TV reported. Moore had been cremated.
The reported mix-up has raised broader concerns about how such an error could occur. In Michigan, funeral homes operate under licenses issued by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, with the Board of Examiners in Mortuary Science providing oversight.
It's unclear if state regulators have opened an inquiry into the funeral home.
Hutchison's family has requested privacy while they grieve and thanked the community for its support, according to a family spokesperson.
Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at asahouri@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fieger Law to hold press conference on Detroit funeral home mix-up
