New Jersey woman sues funeral home, claims it let brother's body 'decompose'

According to court documents, the funeral home failed to embalm Pratt in a timely fashion after his death.

Pratt's family contacted the funeral home the day Pratt died. According to the lawsuit, Pratt-Williams signed off on her brother's embalming so the family could have an open-casket service, NJ.com reported.

"Carl Miller buried everybody in my family, including my parents, my mom and my dad's side, so that's who I called," Pratt-Williams told KYW.

On Sept. 20, Pratt-Williams said she was told by funeral home manager Pamela Miller Dabney that there was a "problem" with her brother's body, NJ.com reported.

According to the lawsuit, Dabney told Pratt-Williams that Pratt's body had been "stored" in a garage, had not been embalmed and "that the body was decomposing and had an odor." She recommended the family cremate Pratt and hold a closed-casket ceremony because “no one would know if anything was inside,” court documents allege.

Pratt-Williams’ cousin, Jeri McBride, recorded a Facebook Live video to express her frustration.

"When your loved one goes on, that's a pivotal moment for you to be able to say goodbye," McBride said in the 14-minute video. "They robbed her of that."

Pratt's family held a service for Pratt on Sept. 29 at Bell-Hennessy Funeral Home in Williamstown, NJ.com reported.

Levi Combs, a spokesman for Carl Miller Funeral Home, told KYW the company had no comment about the lawsuit.

“Our integrity and our longstanding speaks for itself,” Combs told the television station.