'Grotesque freak show': Mom horrified at son's funeral viewing after body became 'infested with large clumps of moving and visible maggots,' lawsuit says

A Virginia parent is suing a ceremonial location immoderate 3 years aft she and household approached her son's casket to the stomach-churning show of his face, chemoreceptor and rima allegedly "covered with and consumed by clumps of maggots."

Plaintiff Tabitha Worrell precocious filed the lawsuit against Snelling Funeral Home successful Chesapeake and its proprietor Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home successful Norfolk. She's demanding $5 cardinal from the funeral home for breach of declaration and negligence.

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Worrell's lad Torreon Williams died astatine the property of 24 successful a car mishap connected May 2, 2022. The household made a $3,000 down outgo to Snelling Funeral Home to grip the arrangements, a suit archetypal obtained by local NBC affiliate WAVY states.

A week aft Williams' death, the household had a viewing and ceremonial astatine Snelling Funeral Home.

"As mourners approached the assemblage of Torreon Williams, these radical noticed that Torreon Williams' body, peculiarly his face, chemoreceptor and mouth, were covered with and consumed by clumps of maggots," the lawsuit said.

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It appeared the maggots had been connected the assemblage for a "significant play of clip and had been purposely ignored" by ceremonial location staff, plaintiff lawyers claim. The maggots had "burrowed into holes successful his feature and moth that had not existed previously," the suit said.

As the incidental unfolded, an worker allegedly placed her hands connected Worrell and said "don't you marque a scene." Another worker allegedly said the "flies got to him."

Worrell and her attorneys assertion the ceremonial location failed to "adequately prepare, sphere and inspect" the assemblage earlier the viewing. Plaintiffs judge the defendants did not store Williams successful a sealed refrigerator and frankincense exposed to elements specified arsenic flies and maggots.

Since seeing her son's assemblage successful that manner, Worrell has suffered "severe intelligence and affectional trauma" that has required intelligence treatment, her lawyers said. She experiences sleeplessness, anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks, the lawyers wrote.

"They provided this household with a grotesque freak show," Worrell's lawyer Kevin Sharp told WAVY. "Maggots pouring retired of this young man's nose. Maggots successful his mouth, and connected his face."

Sharp said Worrell was besides stunned by the mode the unit subordinate told her not to marque a scene.

"They astir seemed to say, 'You don't overreact here. You're the 1 to blame,' not what they had done to her son." Sharp told the outlet.

Casey Jones, the CEO of the ceremonial homes, released the pursuing connection to WAVY.

"The unexpected passing of Torreon Williams is tragic, and we widen our sincere condolences to his family. However, due to the fact that the events pursuing his decease are the taxable of ongoing litigation, we bash not judge it is due to remark publically astatine this time."