Brain in a box: Philadelphia couple sues funeral homes; say dead son's brain handed over as remains

A grieving couple from Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit against two funeral homes, one in Pennsylvania and another in Georgia alleging they say they were handed their son’s brain in a leaking, unmarked box.

Their son, 56-year-old Timothy Garlington, died in Georgia on 15 November 2023. Though he was from Philadelphia, he had been living in Georgia at the time. The Butlers hired both funeral homes to handle his final arrangements.

According to the lawsuit, Garlington’s body was moved to Nix & Nix Funeral Homes in Philadelphia five days later. When the Butlers later collected their son’s belongings, they were handed a white, unmarked box. In the car, the box began to smell and leak fluid. Inside, they say, was their son’s brain.

“It was and it is still in my heart,” Lawrence Butler said tearfully during a press briefing. “I smelled death in my car. I had to get rid of that car. I just couldn’t stand the idea,” Butlers told media, as reported by NBC10.

The lawsuit accuses both funeral homes of mishandling human remains and causing severe emotional trauma. The Butlers say they never received an apology or a proper explanation.

The owner of Nix & Nix told NBC10 they were unaware of the box's contents, assuming it held personal items, and claimed they were cleared by the state board.