Robert Jones was unable to have an open-coffin funeral, a family custom, after his body was stored in a walk-in drinks cooler. 9News
A widow and her family are suing Celebrity Cruises for allegedly mishandling her husband's body after he died while they were on a ship last year, saying it was left to decompose and they suffered extreme emotional trauma.
The Celebrity Equinox, which cruises the Caribbean year-round out of Fort Lauderdale, is flagged out of Malta and can carry almost 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew members. The crew told her that if she chose Puerto Rico, she would need to go with the body and then arrange transportation for it and herself back to Florida, the suit says. She was also told that island authorities would perhaps require an autopsy, which could further delay their return.