A family from Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, experienced a devastating situation after saying goodbye to and cremating someone who was not their loved one.
It all began on April 6, 2025, when a man died in a public hospital. His wife and five children arranged the wake and funeral, never imagining that the body handed over by the medical center belonged to a complete stranger.
Ten days later, they received a call from the hospital that left them stunned: they had cremated the wrong person, while the body of their actual family member was still in the morgue.
During the investigation, the hospital acknowledged that it did not have a specific protocol for managing the morgue when the error occurred.
The family requested compensation of 42.000 euros for the emotional harm they had suffered. The Advisory Council of Castilla-La Mancha deemed joint compensation of 18.000 euros appropriate, equivalent to 3.000 euros for each of the six affected family members, although this does not confirm that the money has already been paid.
The case, which became public in October 2026, exposed a serious failure in the identification of bodies and forced a family to face saying goodbye to their loved one for a second time. 💔