South Carolina - Funeral Home That Cut Tall Man's Legs To Close

[dirtydog]

Funeral Home That Cut Tall Man's Legs To Close

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A South Carolina judge has ordered the closure of a South Carolina funeral home where a worker cut off the legs of a body to fit in a casket.

The funeral home operator says he was trying to save the family more suffering. The courts disagreed, and took his license and are closing the funeral home.

Judge Deborah Durden ruled after a hearing Tuesday that last month's decision by the state Funeral Board to revoke the license of Cave Funeral Home and owner Michael Cave should stand.

Cave admitted in an administrative court that his Allendale funeral home cut the legs off 6-foot-7 James Hines five years ago and did not tell the family.

Cave said he didn't want the grieving family to suffer more.

Hines' widow said investigators told her that Hines' legs had been cut off between the ankle and calf to fit the casket.

The body of James Hines was exhumed earlier this year, following rumors that circulated after his death in 2004 of skin cancer.

Hines' widow said finding out what happened was like having her husband die a second time.

The board had also fined Cave the maximum $500 and ordered him to pay $1,500 for the investigation.

Funeral Home That Cut Tall Man's Legs To Close - Local News Story - WYFF Greenville

[TizMe]

My Mum told me about one funeral she went to many years ago for one of her cousins. Her cousin was quite tall and my grand father reckoned that the coffin was too short to fit him in, so he opened up the casket to have a look. The undertakers had broken both his legs and folded them up so he would fit better..

[Nietzsche]

Cave said he didn't want the grieving family to suffer more

He's got a point.

They were never supposed to find out.