Timothy Garlington’s family has sued the two funeral homes responsible. This follows after they learned the disturbing reality of his death while examining his remaining remains. Garlington, who returned in 2023 to work in school financial aid in Atlanta, died unexpectedly. And for Lawrence and Linda Butler, hope is running out. She said typically they would have gotten a box for personal effects, belonging to their son, but instead it was his brain.
Southern Cremations, a Georgia funeral home, sent Garlington’s remains on the trip. They were then shipped to Nix & Nix, a Pennsylvania funeral home. When the Butlers came to retrieve their son’s effects, they were handed a small white cardboard box. Yet inside, they found an unmarked red box. The Butlers took off, without any idea that the answer lay within the little red box. Almost as soon as this was done, it started leaking fluid and stinking horribly.
Lawrence Butler recalled the terrifying instant he understood that all had gone horribly astray.
“It was, and it is still, in my heart that I got in my car and I smelled death.” – Lawrence Butler
After examining the red box, Butler found his hands smeared with some sticky green goop. Upon further examination, he realized that it was indeed brain tissue. The couple was devastated when they learned the unmarked box contained their son’s brain. In the process, it had been transported with all appropriate safeguards and indications in place.
Instead, Southern Cremations shipped the remains improperly, committing the most egregious of handling protocol violations. The Butlers have shared their feelings of betrayal at the lack of accountability shown by either funeral home and their despair for their loved ones.
“There’s no excuse, there is zero excuse for this type of error to happen.” – Stewart
The Butlers still have not heard an apology from either funeral home. This has been their experience, as they observed this absence of response from the moment the pipeline ruptured. The family’s claims reveal the dangerous breaches of professional standards that must be maintained by any funeral service provider.
Nix & Nix manager Julian Nix, speaking on behalf of his funeral home, insisted that the box contained nothing more than personal effects. This claim begs even more questions about how such a blatant error could happen in the transfer process.
The Butlers have Timothy Garlington’s burial at Washington Crossing National Cemetery under the care of Gov. They remain unsure as to if his brain was indeed buried with him. This cloud of uncertainty casts an additional level of anguish over a family that is already reeling from a loss.
Lawrence Butler shared his deep emotional turmoil regarding the situation, stating, “I had to get rid of that car,” expressing his profound disgust and sorrow over the experience.
The Butlers have filed suit against Southern Cremations and Nix & Nix. They are simply going to try and get damages for the pain and suffering this traumatic event has caused. They are looking for justice for what went wrong by way of this lawsuit. They don’t want another family to have to go through what they did.