Mom's Decomposing Body with Maggots Prevented an Open Casket Wake; Family Sues NY Funeral Home

A mom's decomposing body with maggots has left one family in New York in more pain and grief as they could not give her a proper send-off. The family has filed a lawsuit against the funeral home for mishandling her remains.

Regina Lea Christophe, 37, passed away in her sleep in June after the family celebrated her son's graduation from kindergarten. Christophe, however, left the party early because she had an early call at work.

Relatives discovered her dead the next day after Chantal Jean, Christophe's mom, went to her house. They had no recourse but to call the New York City medical examiner's office for an autopsy and also made funeral arrangements with John J. McManus & Sons Funeral Home, per NBC News.

The family scheduled a funeral service on July 9, after the autopsy had been completed, and then asked for an open casket service. However, when Christophe's remains arrived, Jean said it was not her daughter inside the coffin but a mud monster.

Maggots crawling out of her eyes

Lawyer Kurt Robinson said that Christophe had "maggots crawling out of the side of her eye," and she looked bloated and distorted. Her dress was full of stains, and there were garbage bags by her feet and arms.

Robinson went on to suggest the young mom's body appears to have not been embalmed; thus, she decomposed after two weeks, per the New York Post. Apart from that, a pungent stench filled the funeral home, further preventing the family from giving Christophe a proper and dignified funeral. They could not celebrate her life in a way Christophe would have been pleased.

The lawyer also said that Jean could not stomach what she saw. She had been suffering from depression and had been in a dark place as she could not unsee the final images of her daughter. Jean had also not allowed her grandchildren, who are 16 and 6 years old, to see their deceased mom for the last time.

The family claimed that no one from John J. McManus & Sons Funeral Home attempted to contact them about what happened. Thus, they resorted to just putting a photograph of Christophe on the day of her service. The family had dozens of guests, including family members who flew in from Florida.

Funeral parlor blames extreme heat

Anthony Tenga, the funeral home manager, told News 12 that the extreme heat may have contributed to Christophe's rapidly decomposing body from when her remains were at the medical examiner to the funeral parlor. The body was at the coroner's office for four days and was picked up by John J. McManus & Sons Funeral Home on June 29.

The manager said he was also disappointed by what happened, professionally and personally. He claimed that he gave the family a fair warning a day before the wake. Robertson insisted that there was no mention of a state of decomposition with his clients.