A grieving mother in Chesapeake, Virginia has filed a $5 million lawsuit against a local funeral home, alleging horrific conditions during the service for her late son, 24-year-old Torreon Williams, who died in a car accident in May 2022.
According to the lawsuit obtained by NBC affiliate WAVY, Torreon’s family gathered at Snellings Funeral Home on May 9, just one week after his passing, for a scheduled viewing and service after paying a $3,000 down payment. But what they encountered that day left them in shock.
“As mourners approached the body of Torreon Williams, these people noticed that Torreon Williams' body, particularly his face, nose and mouth, were covered with and consumed by clumps of maggots,” the lawsuit states.
Tabitha Worrell, Torreon’s mother and the plaintiff in the case, was surrounded by family and friends when the horrifying discovery was made.
“They provided this family with a grotesque freak show,” the family’s attorney, Kevin Sharp, said, per Law & Crime News. “Maggots pouring out of this young man’s nose. Maggots in his mouth, and on his face.”
“I just remember my sister screaming,” recalled Tabitha’s sister, Tiffany Barnhart.
According to the family, the response from the funeral home staff only added to their distress. One staff member allegedly attempted to calm Tabitha by placing a hand on her and saying: “Don’t you make a scene.” Another employee reportedly explained: “The flies got to him,” per the Daily Mail.
“She was mortified by the way they reacted,” Tiffany said. “They almost seemed to say, ‘You don’t overreact here.’ You’re the one to blame, not what they had done to her son.”
The lawsuit claims the maggots had been on Torreon’s body for an extended period and were “purposely ignored” by funeral home staff. It further alleges the insects had “burrowed into holes in his cheek and mouth that had not existed previously.”
The family believes Snellings Funeral Home failed to “adequately prepare, preserve and inspect” Torreon’s body before the viewing. The suit also contends the funeral home did not store his remains in a sealed, refrigerated environment, exposing him to contamination.
When asked how this could have occurred, attorney Sharp offered a theory. “How this happened,” he said: “They received his body, and they did not properly clean and disinfect his body, and then he went through the embalming process. That was improper.”
In response to the allegations, Casey Jones, CEO of Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Inc./Snellings Funeral Home, Inc., issued a brief statement (via Metro): “The unexpected passing of Torreon Williams is tragic, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family. However, because the events following his death are the subject of ongoing litigation, we do not believe it is appropriate to comment publicly at this time.”
The lawsuit further asserts that the trauma from the incident has left Tabitha deeply scarred. She now suffers from “nightmares, trauma, sleeplessness, flashback, anxiety, depression, nausea, humiliation, embarrassment, grief and horror that is significant and permanently affects all of her activities.”
Tabitha is seeking $5 million in damages, along with reimbursement of legal costs, fees, and any additional relief deemed appropriate, per The Nightly. The complaint also states she continues to incur expenses related to ongoing “psychological treatment and care.”
The case is scheduled to be heard in Chesapeake Circuit Court’s civil division on July 28 at 8:45AM, with a three-day jury trial anticipated.