Mourning family buries wrong grandfather after funeral home mix-up

Body exhumed following mistake

One of the families was forced to apply to the Ministry of Justice for an exhumation order (file pic) (Getty)

A family buried the wrong person after a funeral home mixed up the nameplates on two coffins.

The Emmett family realised the mistake at Baglan Funeral Home in Port Talbot, South Wales, after another grieving family, the Parfitts, opened what they thought was great-grandfather Trevor's coffin only to see the body of Dennis Emmett instead.

Mr Parfitt, a father-of-six, had been due to be cremated but was buried in a grave at Cymmer Cemetery instead.

Mr Emmett, meanwhile, was lying in the chapel of rest where Mr Parfitt should have been.

Following the discovery, the Parfitt family applied to the Ministry of Justice for an exhumation order at the South Wales cemetery.

After his body was removed from the plot, the Parfitt family held his funeral at the nearby Margam Crematorium.

An investigation followed and the worker responsible for confusing the brass coffin nameplates was reportedly fired.

Speaking to The Sun, Mr Parfitt’s widow, Pam, said: “I don’t want to talk. It’s too upsetting.”

A family friend told the newspaper: “It was a terrible mistake. There have been ructions.

“The funeral home has been very apologetic.”

The Independent has contacted Baglan Funeral Home for comment.