A California woman says her family’s moment of mourning turned into a surreal nightmare when she walked into a viewing and found a complete stranger lying in the casket—and suit—meant for her uncle. 

Amentha Hunt and her aunt, Willie Mae Adkinson, are now suing Harrison-Ross Mortuary for negligence and emotional distress, according to a lawsuit filed May 15, after the family says the mortuary placed the “wrong corpse” in Otis Adkinson’s casket ahead of his April 7 viewing.

“It was a guy lying there in my uncle's suit, but it wasn't my uncle,” Hunt told KCAL News. “I just kept looking at him. … I was like, ‘Wait a minute, he couldn’t have gotten that dark.’”

Hunt says she immediately raised the alarm, but a staff member insisted she was mistaken and that the body was her uncle’s. It wasn’t until she showed the employee “living pictures” that the error was allegedly acknowledged. However, by then, it was too late. 

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The complaint states that it took “several hours” to retrieve the correct body, change the suit, and complete the transfer, leaving “little to no time” for the family to say their goodbyes. 

“It shouldn’t have happened,” Hunt told the outlet. “I didn’t make arrangements there to see the wrong body.”

The lawsuit also details how other family members were thrown into “confusing, emotional distress,” with the moment spiraling into arguments at the viewing. Hunt says she still visualizes the stranger in the casket. “That’s something that’s never going to go away,” she said. “I still can see that guy.”

The funeral home has denied the allegations and is reportedly preparing to send Hunt a cease-and-desist letter, according to KCAL News. 

As of Sunday, May 18, Harrison-Ross Mortuary has not issued a public comment.