A new lawsuit filed against the Cantrell Funeral Home claims the remains of a stillborn baby were kept in a plastic container on a desk as a paperweight for months.
The attorney who filed the lawsuit says this will be an easy case to prove.
The owner of the funeral home denies this ever happened.
The new lawsuit is against St. John Hospital and Cantrell Funeral Home accusing both of them keeping stillborn baby’s remains in a Tupperware container.
According to the lawsuit against the hospital and Cantrell, baby boy Ellis was stillborn on Jan. 30, 2014, at St. John Hospital.
For months the hospital gave excuses about releasing their deceased infant son for burial.
Three months later, it was discovered the hospital staff had the audacity to put the baby in a Tupperware-type container and lost it.
The baby was turned over to Cantrell, Raymond E. Cantrell stored it on his desk for months until the state took possession of the funeral home in April.
St. John is declining comment, not having seen the lawsuit.
The attorney says the Tupperware container was found by the state when it shut down Cantrell in April.
He says the state also didn’t move the decayed remains to another container when it was removed from Cantrell turned over to another funeral home.
He says the mother got the horrific call after the 11 fetuses were found at Cantrell a couple of weeks ago.
“This is so serious; the mom has quit her job. Emotionally she can’t leave her home,” says Bill Colovos. “Then when she got the phone call, it was done. Then when she found out further details, the Tupperware.”
We reached with Raymond E. Cantrell by phone. He vehemently denies the allegations.
He says quote: how could I do business with deceased baby remains on my desk.
They’ll have to slug it out in court.
