A lawsuit has been filed by a Virginia mother against a funeral home, alleging that her son’s body was infested with maggots during his viewing. Tabitha Worrell is seeking $5 million in damages from Snelling Funeral Home in Chesapeake and its owner, Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home in Norfolk, for breach of contract and negligence.
Worrell’s son, Torreon Williams, tragically lost his life in a car accident at the age of 24 on May 2, 2022. The family had paid a $3,000 down payment to Snelling Funeral Home to manage the funeral arrangements, according to court documents first reported by local NBC affiliate WAVY.
A week after Williams’ death, a viewing and funeral were held at Snelling Funeral Home. The lawsuit alleges that as mourners approached Williams’ body, they noticed his face, nose, and mouth were covered with and consumed by clumps of maggots.
The lawsuit further alleges that the maggots had been on the body for a significant period of time and had been deliberately ignored by the funeral home staff. The maggots had burrowed into holes in his cheek and mouth that had not existed previously, according to the suit.
The lawsuit also claims that as the incident unfolded, a funeral home employee told Worrell not to make a scene. Another employee reportedly said the flies got to him. Worrell and her attorneys argue that the funeral home failed to adequately prepare, preserve, and inspect the body before the viewing.
The plaintiffs believe that the defendants did not store Williams’ body in a sealed refrigerator, thus exposing it to elements such as flies and maggots. Since witnessing her son’s body in such a state, Worrell has suffered severe mental and emotional trauma, requiring psychological treatment, according to her lawyers. She reportedly experiences sleeplessness, anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks.
Worrell’s attorney, Kevin Sharp, told WAVY that the funeral home provided the family with a grotesque freak show. Sharp also criticized the funeral home staff’s response to Worrell’s reaction to the sight of her son’s body.
Casey Jones, the CEO of the funeral homes, extended his sincere condolences to Williams’ family in a statement to WAVY. However, he declined to comment publicly on the ongoing litigation.