A screenshot of Arkansas Funeral Care's home page as it appeared in 2012. The website is currently offline.
The emergency suspension of Arkansas Funeral Care & Crematory’s license in January was just the beginning of its problems.
The Jacksonville funeral home is now the target of six lawsuits in Arkansas state courts from angry family members who charge the funeral home and its manager, LeRoy Wood, botched the handling of their loved ones.
And that’s only part of it.
The families have raised claims of negligence, outrage and breach of contract against the funeral home and Wood. Some lawsuits also allege unlawful mutilation of human remains.
Family members alleged they were left with severe emotional distress as a result of patronizing the funeral home that touted in its marketing material, “The best care state wide [sic]. Why would you pay more?”
The allegations get ugly. One of the lawsuits said that $3,233 was paid to Arkansas Funeral Care for an open-casket service for Kenny Alton Smith in 2014.
But when the casket was open, Smith’s widow, Cheryl Cross-Smith of Bronx County, New York, “was overwhelmed by the revolting and obnoxious odor emanating from Mr. Smith’s casket, deteriorated flesh falling off his face and hands, bodily fluids excreting from his orifices, the body lying in embalming fluid, and his clothing and the lining of the casket saturated with embalming fluid,” the lawsuit said.
The funeral home and Wood denied the allegations in that lawsuit. Its attorney for the case, John Moore of Little Rock, referred questions to the company’s other attorney, Brian K. Woodruff of Jacksonville. He didn’t return a call for comment.
In addition to court cases, nine complaints involving the funeral home and other former employees are pending at the Arkansas State Board of Embalmers & Funeral Directors. A hearing is set for May 13 at 9 a.m.
The complaints have been sent to Wood for a response, but he hasn’t answered any of them, the board said.
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