Patriot Brief
• What Happened: A California family alleges a funeral director mistakenly gave them a bag containing their son’s brain instead of his clothes after a $10,000 memorial service.
• Why It Matters: The incident has sparked a lawsuit and raised disturbing questions about basic competence, dignity, and accountability in the funeral industry.
• Bottom Line: What should have been a respectful farewell turned into a traumatic ordeal the family says never should have happened.
A California family says a funeral home committed an unthinkable mistake after they were allegedly given their own son’s brain instead of his clothing following a $10,000 funeral service.
The family of 27-year-old Alexander Pinon has filed a lawsuit against funeral director Anita Singh, claiming she handed them a bag that was supposed to contain their son’s clothes. Instead, according to the filing, it contained human brain material.
NEW: California family says a funeral director gave them a bag with their own son’s brain in it.
The family of 27-year-old Alexander Pinon has filed a lawsuit, claiming funeral director Anita Singh gave them their son’s brain instead of his clothes.
Pinon’s family had paid for… pic.twitter.com/8bKnodJBGV
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 12, 2025
Pinon’s family had paid for a “full-service memorial tribute package” and specifically asked for his clothing to be returned after services were completed. They say Singh gave them a bag without explanation.
When the family arrived home, they placed the contents into the washing machine. That is when they realized something was seriously wrong.
“At that point, they had no idea that it was their son’s brain that was in the washing machine,” said the family’s attorney, Samer Habbas. “They didn’t know if it was mixed up with somebody else’s brain, whether it was their son’s, they had not a single idea.”
The lawsuit claims the shock did not end there. According to a whistleblower employed by the funeral home, once the brain was returned, Singh allegedly placed it in a box and left it sitting in the courtyard of the funeral home for more than two months.
The family says the incident caused severe emotional distress and compounded the trauma of losing their son. What was supposed to be a dignified goodbye instead turned into a nightmare they say never should have happened.
ABC7 News Bay Area first reported the story.