Man says funeral home accidentally cremated mother

BRONX, NY (WTXF) - What would you do if a funeral home accidentally cremated your mother against your wishes? That's what happened at McCall's Bronxwood Funeral Home in Bronx, NY. A man says the business accidentally switched the bodies of Annie Little and Val-Jean McDonald, two deceased grandmothers. Little's body was sent to McDonald's funeral, after which her body was cremated.

Friends and family from around the world attended to pay their respects to Annie Little on December 29.

The trouble is, it was not her funeral at all. That was supposed to be the funeral of a different woman, Val-Jean McDonald.

Confused yet? I'm just getting started.

Wearing Ms. McDonald's clothing and jewelry, Annie Little was prepared and brought to the wrong funeral for an open casket viewing due to an epic mix up by a Bronx funeral home, McCall's Bronxwood Funeral Home.

Donald Little, Annie's son, was grieving his mother's death, preparing for her actual open casket viewing a few days later when he received a disturbing phone call from McCall's Funeral Home.

This is where it gets bad. Donald says the funeral home informed Donald Little that he could no longer have an open casket for his mother because after the funeral mix-up, the funeral home took Annie Little's body and had her cremated.

The Little family does not believe in cremation, but those were the McDonald's family wishes, so that's what happened.

Annie Little was supposed to be laid beside her late husband, a Korean War Veteran, at Calverton National Cemetery.

Chasing News' Rohan Mohanty met with Donald Little and his attorney, Robert DiGianni, in Brooklyn to talk about this horrific mishap.

He asked his lawyer where we stand and what's next.

"It all has to do with breaching Donald Little's right of sepulcher which is the next of kin's right to choose and control the burial, cremation or other final disposition of a dead human body. He had zero control over that," Robert DiGianni, Esq said.

Think about what happened to Donald Little in that period of time. Also, think about the McDonald family. They are aware, now, of what happened too. Rohan spoke via telephone to Richard McDonald, one of Val-Jean' McDonald's sons. He told us it is a complete shame.

He and all of his family members and brothers paid their respects to the wrong woman, as their mother sat in the funeral home alone.

He told us that he knew that she looked different; they all thought something was off, but didn't think something like this was possible and the fact that she was battling aggressive cancer could have changed her appearance.

We went to McCall's funeral home to see if they had anything to say and we was quickly asked to leave, but they did provide Donald Little with an apology letter.

We reached out to the Division of Cemeteries and the Bureau of Funeral Directing, who are both currently investigating this incident.