Grieving mother sues over appalling sight that greeted her when she went to funeral home to collect stillborn baby’s blanket and ashes
A grieving mother is suing a funeral home and a cremation center over the horrific scene she witnessed when she picked up the blanket and ashes of her stillborn baby.
Aurora Hartley of Oklahoma was devastated when she went into early labor at 27 weeks on November 27, 2023 and her baby, Hadley, was stillborn. News 9 reports.
In her grief, she turned her child’s remains over to the coroner in Oklahoma City for an autopsy. Hadley’s remains were then sent to Alpha and Omega Mortuary for cremation.
But when Hartley went to collect her baby’s ashes and birthing blanket from Brown’s Funeral Service in Coalgate, she was stunned to discover her child’s remains were still in the blanket, her lawyers claim.
“As they take the birthing blanket away to wash and preserve it, they open it up and find the remains of the child,” attorney John Zelbst told the local news station.
Oklahoma resident Aurora Hartley is suing Brown’s Funeral Home and Alpha and Omega Mortuary for apparently failing to cremate her stillborn child
When Hartley went to collect her baby’s ashes and the hospital birthing blanket from Brown’s Funeral Service in Coalgate, she was stunned to discover her child’s remains were still in the blanket, her lawyers claim
“You can imagine the shock and horror.”
He said Hartley, her boyfriend and her family later returned to Brown’s Funeral Service for more information about how such a mistake could happen.
“We have an urn of ashes that no one knows who it belongs to,” Zelbst said. “It’s not our client’s baby. So what family is missing their loved one?”
The attorney further said that the funeral home told local police that the ashes came from Hartley’s cremated placenta and not the child’s remains.
“They gave this excuse that it’s the placenta. It has no characteristics of a cremation,” Zelbst argued. “So that’s the beginning of the cover-up.”
He said he is now taking legal action against the mortuary and funeral home to ensure no other family has to endure such horrors.
“We’re going to let the citizens of this community decide for themselves what justice should be,” he said, adding that Hartley’s other attorney, Dan Markoff, said he’s waiting for the state board to step in and shut down one or both funeral homes.
Funeral home officials reportedly told local police that the ashes came from Hartley’s cremated placenta and not the child’s remains.
The U.S. Department of Labor opened an investigation in April into the operator of Alpha and Omega Mortuary Services and Crematory for violations of federal labor law.
It found that the mortuary, which is operated by Stillwell Ltd, Inc., failed to pay employees overtime for work performed in excess of 40 hours per week and failed to keep proper records as required by federal law.
“I was working 60 to 80 hours a week, with no days off,” said Crystal Moeai, a former mortuary employer KFOR told during the investigation‘My shift often lasted 27 hours.’
Mark Monterroso added that sometimes they would work “a couple of days” in a row and “have to take a nap here and there because you were working nights.”
Ultimately, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division was able to collect $231,390 in back wages and an equal amount in compensation for Stillwell’s 66 employees.
Hartley said she was devastated by the mistake and noted that she had always wanted to be a mother
She is now seeking mental health care as she deals with the loss of her child and the traumatic confusion that followed.
“By depriving its employees of their hard-earned wages, Alpha and Omega Mortuary Service and Crematory has violated the law and harmed the people who depend on the company to work long hours to provide an important service to the community in exchange for low wages,” Michael Speer, district director of the Wage and Hour Division, said at the time.
“We are committed to protecting employees and provide clear and confidential compliance support to all employees and employers who have questions.”
It’s unclear whether the long workdays played a role in the confusion surrounding Hartley’s baby.
She says she is now seeking help for her mental health after losing her baby and the traumatic experience, and says she always wanted to be a mother.
DailyMail.com has contacted Brown’s Funeral Service and Alpha and Omega Mortuary for comment.