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Funeral home gives wrong baby to mourning family

The mourning family of a stillborn baby was given the wrong child?s body Sunday during the funeral. The family says the Ortiz Funeral Home on Westchester Avenue mistakenly wrapped a 5-month-old fetus

News 12 Staff

Nov 3, 2008, 2:56 PM

Updated 5,651 days ago

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Funeral home gives wrong baby to mourning family
The mourning family of a stillborn baby was given the wrong child?s body Sunday during the funeral.
The family says the Ortiz Funeral Home on Westchester Avenue mistakenly wrapped a 5-month-old fetus in their son?s blanket and presented the wrong baby in their son?s coffin. Their baby died after he was born full term.
"When they opened the casket, it was another baby,? Courtney Sweeney, the baby?s father, says. ?A fetus, 5 months old?wrapped in my son's blanket."
In addition to mixing up the children, the funeral home also gave the family the wrong coffin and kept the clothes the family had provided for their baby on the 5-month-old, even after the mistake was brought to their attention.
"The funeral parlor was told specifically, do not send that blanket back,? Miriam Sanchez, the baby?s aunt, says. ?You had it on somebody else's baby. Now the clothes are missing. How could you be so unprofessional?"
News 12 The Bronx has yet to hear back from the funeral parlor, though members of the family have said they are not being charged by the funeral home. Workers at the funeral home, according to the family, say the mistakes are a result of ?human error.?


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