Mix-Up Leads To Wrong Baby Cremated
Medical Examiner's Office Confirms Mix-Up
POSTED: Friday, September 15, 2006
UPDATED: 10:17 am EDT September 15,
2006
An apparent mix up at the Brevard County Medical Examiner's Office led to a stillborn baby being cremated while the family was preparing to bury the child, according to a Local 6 News report.
The child, Elijah Lewis, was stillborn Aug. 31 at Holmes Regional Medical Center after just six months in his 14-year-old mother's womb.
The child's grandmother, Tashana Byrd of Melbourne was working with Buggs Funeral Home on U.S. 1 in Melbourne, making arrangements to bury the 1-pound, 6-ounce boy and picking out a premature baby's outfit from Wal-Mart in which to lay him to rest, Loal 6 News partner Florida Today reported.
Byrd told Florida Today that the child's death was hard enough on her and her daughter, but what happened next was devastating.
"The medical examiner had told me something had happened -- another funeral home had picked up Elijah and cremated him," Byrd said. "I didn't want him cremated -- that's against my religion. We don't believe in that. I wanted him to be buried."
Byrd said that she is heartbroken and angry at the medical examiner's office.
"He said, 'I'm really sorry,' but I don't accept no sorry for negligence like that," Byrd said. "That should have never happened."
Nancy Slater, the medical examiner's office manager, confirmed the mix-up, according to a Florida Today report.
"From my understanding, they fired the person who made the error," Byrd said. "I plan on suing them -- I really do."
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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