They wanted one last moment alone with their daughter.
But when Corinna and Raymond Korzeb arrived at Bibber Memorial at Autumn Green funeral home in Alfred less than a week after their infant, Emma, suddenly died, they couldn’t recognize her body. She hadn’t been properly embalmed, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Emma Korzeb was less than 2 months old when she died suddenly in February 2023. Her parents are suing a funeral home for allegedly failing to properly take care of her body. Photo courtesy Corrina and Raymond Korzeb
The Korzebs filed the civil lawsuit against the funeral home in York County Superior Court alleging that Bibber failed to care for Emma’s body. They are suing the southern Maine mortuary for negligence, inflicting emotional distress and breach of contract.
Bibber, which oversees facilities in Kennebunk, Wells, Berwick and Alfred, did not respond to a message left with a receptionist Wednesday afternoon seeking to discuss the Korzebs’ allegations.
Emma Korzeb was a little more than a month old when she died on Feb. 11, 2023, according to the complaint. Her body was taken to Autumn Green a couple of days later where Emma’s parents had hired Bibber to embalm and later cremate their daughter.
The Korzebs were planning to hold a funeral at a church in Sanford. But during a private viewing with close family the day before, the couple was “shocked and horrified” by their daughter’s appearance. Her body had already begun decomposing.
They say Bibber’s employees knew they hadn’t properly taken care of Emma’s body and they still chose to proceed with the viewing even though the parents were grieving and emotionally vulnerable.
The Korzebs declined to be interviewed Wednesday about their daughter’s death and the lawsuit.
Their attorney, Travis Brennan, said in a written statement Wednesday that Bibber caused the family “additional, unnecessary pain and suffering while already coping with the unimaginable grief of losing their infant daughter.”
“This is particularly alarming because Maine’s population is aging and the demand for these services will only continue to increase,” Brennan said. “The mortuary industry needs to ensure it adheres to the highest standards when taking on this solemn responsibility.”
Other Maine funeral homes have been the subject of similar lawsuits in recent years, including Affordable Cremation Solutions in Lewiston. In 2021, several families sued them for mishandling their loved ones’ remains. A jury ordered the company to pay $5.5 million to a woman after her father’s body spent weeks decaying in the funeral home’s basement.
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