Grieving daughters find unknown woman wearing their mother’s clothes inside casket at funeral home

Family say they are awaiting an official apology

Sisters Jennifer Taylor and Jennetta Archer (pictured) say a funeral home mixed up the body of their mother with another woman (WAVY10TV)

Two sisters in North Carolina went to bury their elderly mother but claim they found the body of another woman inside the casket.

Jennifer Taylor and Jennetta Archer, who buried their mother last week, went to view her at a funeral home in Ahoskie, North Carolina, when they realised their something was not right.

Ms Archer told WAVY10 that there “was no similarity” between the woman whose body was inside their mother’s casket, and that the person who was in there was “swimming” in their mother’s clothes.

“The size was way off,” said Ms Archer. “The first person had the clothing on. She was swimming in the clothes because she was so small, compared to my mother.”

Funeral home workers initially refused to accept that they had mixed the two bodies, the sisters said, but eventually found the body of their mother, Mary Archer, in the embalming room.

While the funeral home switched the bodies and the service resumed, Ms Taylor told the TV station: “For this to play out like that, it’s embarrassing”.

“No one addressed the situation,” said Ms Archer. “If they had just come up front and addressed it immediately to show that they did, yes, they made an error.”

Hunters Funeral Home said it had issued an apology to the family, and had phoned the sisters, although they denied that the call had taken place. The Independent has approached the firm for comment.

It was thought to be then first such incident at Hunters in 40 years, and the home admitted that those who die at home were not identified by tags.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.