Horrifying Funeral Mistake: Parents Given Son’s Brain in a Leaking Box
In a gut-wrenching turn of events, grieving parents say they were unknowingly handed their deceased son's brain in an unmarked, leaking box—a traumatic experience now at the center of an explosive lawsuit filed this week.
Lawrence and Abbey Butler were already grappling with the loss of their son, Timothy Garlington, when what should’ve been a moment of closure turned into a nightmare. During a press conference on Thursday, Lawrence recounted the moment he realized something was terribly wrong.
“It was—and still is—etched in my soul. I got into my car and I smelled death,” he said, voice quivering. Abbey, overcome with emotion, stood silently by, wiping away tears.
After Garlington’s 2023 death in Georgia, the Butlers arranged to have his remains transported to their home state, Pennsylvania. Along with his personal effects, they received a white cardboard box containing an unlabeled red box—which at the time, no one questioned.
At Nix & Nix Funeral Homes, Abbey tried to open the mysterious red box but couldn’t. Days later, the box, still sitting in their car, began to leak fluid and emit a foul odor. When Lawrence picked it up, the fluid soaked his hands.
“That was brain matter. It’s insane,” said their attorney, L. Chris Stewart, at the conference.
The Butlers immediately contacted the Georgia-based Southern Cremations & Funerals at Cheatham Hill, only to be told they’d received their son’s brain by mistake. They quickly returned the red box to Nix & Nix, but the damage—both physical and emotional—was already done.
ASV Partners, the company behind Southern Cremations, has declined to comment on the matter.
“Their last memory of their son is holding his brain,” Stewart told the Associated Press.
“I had to get rid of that car,” Lawrence added. “I couldn’t bear knowing remains were inside.”
The lawsuit alleges gross negligence, claiming both funeral homes mishandled human remains and inflicted intentional emotional distress on the family.
According to Stewart, no legitimate funeral practice involves shipping a separated brain in such a careless manner. If that ever occurs, it must be in a sealed, labeled, biohazard-safe container—which this clearly was not.
Even if Nix & Nix didn’t know what was inside, Stewart argues they should’ve flagged the box, as it wasn’t listed in the inventory transferred from Southern Cremations.
Julian Nix, the manager of Nix & Nix, told the AP the fault lies with Southern Cremations, saying his team believed the box held personal belongings. Nix claimed they alerted authorities upon discovering the contents. While he stated the state funeral board cleared them of wrongdoing, no official documents have yet been made public.
The Butlers are now suing for damages and demanding accountability
“There’s zero excuse,” Stewart declared. “Southern Cremations shipped unmarked biohazardous material. Nix & Nix handed that same unverified box to the parents—no label, no check, nothing. And still, no apology from either funeral home.”
Garlington, a 56-year-old Marine veteran, was working in school financial aid in Atlanta, per his LinkedIn profile. He’s now buried at Washington Crossing National Cemetery—but the Butlers remain unsure whether their son's brain was ever reunited with his body.
“They live with that fear every day,” said Stewart. “Is he truly at peace?”