Grieving widower discovers stranger inside wife’s casket

Reports from South Africa suggest a grieving husband opened the casket at the funeral of his deceased wife to find a stranger in her place.

Michael Galant has told of his shock after funeral home staff accidentally put the body of another woman inside a coffin he was expecting to contain his wife, Magdalene.

Speaking to the local Daily Voice newspaper, Galant told how he and his daughter had prepared themselves to take one final look at their loved one during Mrs Galant’s funeral in Cape Town.

“I opened my wife’s casket and she didn’t look right. I immediately knew something was wrong,” he remarked.

“My daughter came to me and said ‘that’s not mummy’ and then I knew this was a big mistake.”

Mr Galant’s daughter, Leota, told the Daily Voice the family questioned the undertakers about the body swap and claimed staff initially tried to convince them they had delivered the right body. It wasn’t until later the company admitted to pulling out the wrong drawer at the morgue.

Despite the mix-up, organisers convinced the family to go ahead with the service as planned. Following the ceremony the family were escorted to the unnamed funeral home and shown the right body. The company has reportedly apologised and promised to help the family arrange a second funeral.