The family of a man who was cremated by mistake after a funeral home accidentally put a stranger 's body in his coffin have filed a lawsuit . Jerry Moon 's family only discovered the devastating blunder when they opened the casket to say their final goodbyes and found the other body wrapped in a plastic bag . While the body of the loving father - who was terrified of cremation - was accidentally incinerated at Dahl McVicker Funeral Home in Kelso , Washington State . The family of Jerry Moon , pictured with his wife Janice , were distraught when they found another man 's body in his coffin . A lawsuit filed by the family claims the Brown Mortuary put the body of 97-year-old Robert Petitclerc in the coffin by mistake . The family is now seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress . Chronically ill in his final years , Mr Moon began arranging for his funeral 16 years before his death in 2013 . The 72-year-old railroad conductor had paid $ 4,655 to be buried in a family plot in Chehalis , Washington , according to a lawsuit filed in Lewis County Superior Court . The prepaid services also included embalming , a funeral and a graveside service . After he passed away at a hospice in Longview on October 13 , the funeral home was responsible for transporting his body to the Brown Mortuary for a burial . But Shawn Briggs , an attorney representing Moon 's family , said his identification bracelet had been placed on another body . Jerry Moon , pictured with at Weyerhaeuser Railroad where he worked for 28 years , was chronically ill in his final years and had began arranging for his funeral 16 years before his death in 2013 . Born in Chehalis , Mr Moon , a father and stepfather to six , spent most of his life in Southwest Washington . According to family members , Mr Moon 's funeral was a touching goodbye to the man they loved . At the end of the service , they opened the casket . But they were horrified to find the body of Robert Petitclerc - dressed in Jerry Moon 's clothes and with a picture of Moon 's wife tucked under the pillow in the coffin . Plastic had been wrapped round his head and face . 'This makes me feel like he was treated as a number , not a person , ' daughter Cheryl Moon told KIROTV.com at the time . ' I turned around and said to myself three times , 'That 's not him , that 's not him , that 's not him , ' son Randy Moon told the station . The mistake is all the more surprising as Mr Moon was 72 and bald while Mr Petitclerc was 97 and had a full head of hair , the lawsuit said . 'It was horrifying , ' Mr Briggs told the Seattle Pi . The family , who had been given a bill of $ 8,834 by Brown Mortuary for the service , would only later learn that the mix up at the funeral home meant Mr Moon 's had been cremated . Mr Moon , pictured with wife Janice , had paid $ 4,655 to be buried in a family plot in Chehalis , Washington , according to a lawsuit filed in Lewis County Superior Court . Grieving : Moon 's son Randy says he believes his father is in Heaven , regardless of who was in the casket . Sadly the discovery was even more upsetting for the family as Mr Moon had always been scared of cremation . 'He was afraid of cremation , ' Mr Briggs added . 'He had religious beliefs that were inconsistent with cremation . ' Born in Chehalis , Mr Moon , a father and stepfather to six , had spent most of his life in Southwest Washington . Brown Mortuary initially claimed the body was Mr Moon , but later admitted he had been cremated on October 17 , 2013 , by mistake , according to the lawsuit . The mortuary later sent a $ 92.72 refund check to Janice Moon . Relatives have now filed a lawsuit against the two mortuaries that mishandled Mr Moon 's remains . It says the mortuary acted fraudulently and with malice in its handling of Jerry Moon 's body and conspired to cover-up the fact that Mr Moon had been mistakenly cremated . The mortuary is part of a funeral service chain owned by Texas-based Service Corporation International . Representative Kim Tarleton declined to comment on the allegations , saying it would be 'inappropriate to share any details about this situation . '
MoonJerry Moon , 72 , had pre-arranged to be buried in a family plot in Chehalis . But shocked relatives found his body had been replaced by a stranger 's . Mr Jerry Moon - who was afraid of cremation- had been accidentally incinerated . The family are now suing Brown Mortuary Service for the upsetting blunder .