Westmoreland funeral home defends handling of body after funeral mix-up claims

The operators of Doyley’s Funeral Services say the body that was presented for a ceremony last Sunday is the same one their employees collected from the Westmoreland Infirmary.

The assertion follows the chaotic funeral service for Roy Williams at the Westmoreland Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Relatives accused the funeral operators of sending the wrong body to the church.

The company acknowledged that the incident is now the subject of a police investigation.

But in a statement on Wednesday, Doyley’s Funeral Services said it stands by its employees and protocols in the handling of mortal remains.

“At the same time, we are mindful of the grief felt by families and express heartfelt sympathies for the loss. We have communicated with the family and will offer any necessary further support they might wish from us,” the statement said.

The company disclosed that on March 21, 2026, two employees went to the Westmoreland Infirmary and collected the “body of the said deceased” after he was pronounced dead by a doctor at about 11:11 p.m. that day.

Doyley’s Funeral Services said a tag placed on the body at the infirmary with the man’s name was still in place when the employees returned to its facilities.

It disclosed, too, that when the body was formally received at its facilities, all records were made “with respect to identification of the deceased and storage of his body”.

“The body that was prepared by Doyley’s Funeral Services for the May 17, 2026 funeral was the same one that was identified to us by the infirmary by way of identifying tag on March 21, 2026,” the company insisted.

“The name, date of receipt, and all other details were checked in the usual fashion and thereafter we presented the body for [the] funeral.”

The company noted that the body presented for the funeral on Sunday was returned to its facilities after the ceremony.

It said the two employees who collected it on March 21 confirmed that it was the same body.