The family of teen baseball star Grant Solomon who mysteriously died in July 2020 when his own pickup truck allegedly struck him have accused a mortuary service of breaking his ankles and discarding the clothes he was wearing on the day of the crash.
What Really Happened?
Grant’s mother, Angie Solomon, during a private family viewing, had made a request for the lower portion of his mahogany-colored casket to be opened when she saw her son’s feet were contorted.
Seeing it, she ‘almost fainted’. Meanwhile, hospital records show his ankles had been uninjured in the crash.
Following the discovery, Eric Bonetti, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, which has been covering the case, filed a complaint against the funeral home and owner with the Tennessee Board of Funerals.
How His Ankles Broke
Information later reached mom of the debaser that Grant’s ankles had been ‘knowingly broken in order for the remains to fit the casket’ – a member of staff of the funeral home told her.
The complaint also alleges that various personal effects had been destroyed ‘without authorization’.
They Did Things Without Authorization
Angie claimed that when she asked the funeral home for her son’s clothes she was told they had been discarded because they were a ‘bio-hazard’.
The funeral home was sent a ‘letter of warning’ regarding Grant’s belongings being discarded but dismissed the allegations that his ankles had been broken.
Formal Complaints Against the Funeral Home
In June 2023, Bonetti sent the board a complaint letter asking them to investigate activity that occurred at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home and Cremation Services, on or about July 20, 2020.
In it, Bonetti alleged that the former owner/funeral director Pam Stephens, in conjunction with a member of their staff, ‘knowingly broke Grant’s ankles to fit him into an undersized casket when preparing him for casketing’.
He said, in part: ‘They told family members that they did this to fit Grant into his casket, which makes zero sense, as he was 6’4” and a standard casket size accommodates remains up to 6’5”.
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The complaints read further: ‘I further believe this conduct was not authorized by the family and thus constitutes abuse of corpse under Tennessee law.
‘Moreover, Pam destroyed various personal effects belonging to the decedent without authorization.
‘On top of that, Pam was profoundly rude to family members and inappropriately waded into a dispute between the decedent’s parents.
‘I ask that you investigate and if these claims are verified, file criminal charges against all involved.’
On top of all, Williamson Memorial Funeral Home denies the accusations.
