A mother and father in Maryland say the body of their 2-month-old son, whose remains were lost due to a botched cremation, was discovered inside the crematory operators’ own home, prompting a criminal investigation and new “nightmare” questions from the already terrified parents.
“We’re like, why was he in their home?” “So many other thoughts are just rushing through our minds,” Laquanda Brown told local Fox affiliate WTTG.
“Like, what were they trying to accomplish? “So, what were they doing?” she asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Brown and the child’s father, Chris Parham, are already suing Heaven Bound Crematory operators Rosa Turner and Brandon Williams of Charles County, alleging that they failed to cremate their son and stowed his body inside the now-closed facility, which was sanctioned last year for storing “human remains in cardboard boxes” and other disturbing practices, according to state officials.
Turner and Williams not only did not cremate the child, but also gave the parents “the wrong ashes,” according to Brown and Parham, whose son, Coi’seir Parham, died in October.
The parents learned about the alleged failed cremation in February. They received Coi’seir’s ashes two weeks ago and were told that his body had been discovered inside Turner and Williams’ home, not at the crematorium, according to WTTG.
Since then, the parents have been plagued by questions, telling the station that the discovery has rekindled their grief.
“Like a bandage, being pulled off a fresh wound again,” Parham reflected.
“They called and said his ashes were ready to be picked up,” Brown told me. “But it’s still like — how do we even know it’s still him?”
Brown and Parham’s lawyer, Sara Aguiniga, told Law&Crime last month that they are suing Heaven Bound and Stewart Funeral Services, as well as Turner and Williams, for $10 million for allegedly mishandling their son’s cremation.
“The defendants’ heinous disregard for human dignity shocks the conscience,” says Aguiniga. “Heaven Bound and Stewart Funeral Services exploited people at their most vulnerable, causing significant and irreparable harm. This lawsuit is an important step toward holding them accountable and protecting those who are unable to speak for themselves.”
Aguiniga confirmed the new discovery in a statement to Law&Crime on Wednesday, saying: “Laquanda Brown and Christopher Parham, parents of Coi’seir, have discovered that the body of their infant son was kept in the home of the Heaven Bound crematorium owners.” They are, understandably, experiencing new trauma.
According to WTTG, police have launched a criminal investigation into the case. The Maryland State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors has sanctioned and investigated Heaven Bound for nearly a decade, with state records indicating sanctions and failed inspections from 2017 to early 2024.
In March 2024, the board’s lead investigator conducted an inspection of the crematory that revealed “human bodies in cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other with no support between the boxes; human bodies in ripped body bags with arms and legs hanging out of the body bags; human remains that were not being stored at temperatures below 40F; and blood on the refrigeration unit and bodily fluids on the floor,” according to an order for summary suspension filed by the state. Williams was also stripped of his credentials.
“Just the thought of somebody just having my son, just mistreating him like that — and he was just a baby — like, even though he did pass on, he was still an infant,” said Brown. “He was still a human being.”
Parham shared with WTTG how they are dealing with their current situation, including nightmares and fear of repeating them. It’s a loss of peace for us.”
