CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Virginia woman has filed a $5 million lawsuit against two funeral homes, alleging her son’s body was shown in an open casket infested with maggots during a viewing in May 2022.
Tabitha Worrell, the plaintiff, claims that when she and other mourners approached her son’s casket at Snellings Funeral Home in Chesapeake, they were met with the disturbing sight of clumps of maggots on his face, nose and mouth. Her son, Tomeon Williams, died in an automobile accident on May 2, 2022.
The lawsuit, filed in recent days, names both Snellings Funeral Home and its parent company, Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home of Norfolk, alleging breach of contract and negligence in the preparation and care of Williams’ remains.
“Plaintiff, her family, and friends experienced shock and horror at the grotesque display of the body of Torreon Williams,” the complaint states, adding that maggots were visibly moving and had burrowed into areas of his face that had not been previously damaged.
Worrell claims she paid a $3,000 down payment for funeral services, including sanitary care and dressing of the body. The suit alleges that when mourners arrived for the May 9 viewing, the facility was warm and the doors to the building were left open.
Alleged comments by funeral staff referenced fly activity
According to the filing, when family members raised concern at the condition of Williams’ body, one male employee remarked, “flies got to him.” Another employee allegedly told Worrell, “don’t you make a scene,” as she reacted to the situation.
The suit asserts that the maggots had been present “for a significant period of time” and had been “purposely ignored” by the staff. The insects were reportedly concentrated in areas of new facial damage, including holes in the cheek and mouth.
The complaint also alleges that the funeral homes failed to adequately prepare, preserve, and inspect Williams’ body prior to the viewing, resulting in what it describes as a “grotesque fashion” of display.
Worrell is seeking $5 million in damages, plus court costs and interest dating back to May 9, 2022. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the incident.
