DC parents given wrong ashes after funeral home’s mistake: lawsuit

WASHINGTON - A grieving D.C. couple is suing a local funeral home, accusing it of lying and covering up the remains of their stillborn baby.

Couple sues DC funeral home

The backstory:

Brittani Davis and Michael Jackson say they have nowhere else to turn in their fight to recover the ashes of their son, Micari. Their lawsuit, filed in D.C. Superior Court, seeks a jury trial against Dunn and Sons Funeral Home, its owners Brianna and Tresa Dunn, and designated funeral director Asanti Williams.

Davis, who gave birth to Micari stillborn on July 14, 2024, said she had hoped for a peaceful farewell. Instead, she claims, she was met with negligence and deception.

"Just a peaceful transition … A nice way to say goodbye," Davis said.

According to the lawsuit, the funeral home mishandled Micari’s service from the beginning. Davis and Jackson had requested gold and white balloons for the ceremony but instead received colorful balloons reading "Happy Birthday."

"He’ll never have a birthday. I was upset. Why would you have ‘Happy Birthday’ balloons? It’s not a birthday," Davis said.

After the funeral, Davis was handed a bag of ashes, which Dunn and Sons initially told her contained Micari’s remains. However, she later learned that Micari had not been cremated until the next day, raising serious concerns about the ashes she had received.

"You had the opportunity to say, ‘Look, I made a mistake,’" Davis said. "I would've still been mad, but at least I would have gotten the truth. But you still tried to cover it up, which means you took out my son's real ashes and tried to dump them or did something with them."

Now, the couple is demanding accountability.

"Every action has a reaction. This is my reaction to what you guys done to us. I just want to see you guys held accountable," Davis said.

The other side:

When contacted by FOX 5 DC, Dunn and Sons declined to comment, telling reporters to stay away from the story before hanging up. 

The funeral home did not respond when reporters visited in person.

Adding to the controversy, Asanti Williams, Dunn and Sons’ designated funeral director, previously served on the D.C. Board of Funeral Directors — the body responsible for regulating funeral homes in the District. 

In November, Williams was fined $3,000, while Dunn and Sons was fined $10,000 for violating D.C. law and willfully creating a false record.

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office confirmed that Williams is no longer on the board.