In a lawsuit that’s equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying, a Pennsylvania family is taking legal action against two funeral homes after what should have been a respectful transfer of remains turned into a shocking and traumatic experience.
The nightmare began when Lawrence and Abbey Butler had the body of their son, Timothy Garlington, sent from Georgia, where he passed away in 2023, to their home state of Pennsylvania. Upon arrival at Nix & Nix Funeral Homes in Pennsylvania, the couple was handed a white cardboard box containing a smaller, unlabeled red box.
When Abbey attempted to open it, she couldn’t. Days later, the mysterious box began leaking in their car, giving off a foul odor that Lawrence would later describe as unmistakable. When he picked it up, fluid spilled onto his hands. The family would soon learn the horrifying truth, according to The Guardian reports.
Georgia Funeral Shipment Turns Into A Pennsylvania Nightmare
When Lawrence moved the red box, the fluid got on his hands. What was it? According to their lawyer, it was brain matter. That’s when the funeral home in Georgia admitted they had made a horrific mistake. The box contained their son’s brain.
“It was, and it is still, in my heart that I got in my car and I smelled death,” he said, emotion breaking his voice. Garlington’s mother, Abbey Butler, stood nearby, wiping away tears. “I had to get rid of that car,” he explained. “I couldn’t stand the idea that the remains were in there.”
The Butlers’ lawsuit accuses both funeral homes, Southern Cremations & Funerals at Cheatham Hill in Georgia and Nix & Nix in Pennsylvania, of gross negligence and inflicting emotional distress. Their lawyer claims that at no point should a brain be removed and boxed separately. Not to mention shipped in that condition, especially without labeling it as biohazardous material.
He also alleges that even if Nix & Nix didn’t know what was inside, they should have flagged the mystery box. Which wasn’t included on the official inventory from Georgia. To date, the family has reportedly received no apology from either funeral home. The Georgia location declined to comment. While Nix & Nix maintain they believed the box held personal belongings and weren’t at fault.
The state board cleared Nix & Nix of wrongdoing, but the family is still searching for closure. This isn’t just a tragic clerical error. It’s a haunting, real-life horror story. The Butlers’ final memory of their son was tainted by an unspeakable mistake. Now, they’re demanding justice. Not only for closure, but to make sure no family ever has to experience this kind of trauma again.
Hunter Spears 
Kenna Raye 
