Husband's body left to 'rot' amid Auckland funeral home dispute

A widow says she was told her husband would be left to rot if she didn't pay a $12,000 bill. Photo /123RF

A dead man's body started decomposing when a widow reportedly had a financial dispute with a funeral home.

Nan Jiang said she was sent a bill for about $12,000 after her husband Wei Chen died last year.

"I was told by the funeral home that if I didn't pay the money, Wei would be left to rot, but I refused to pay because it was unreasonable," Jiang told Stuff.

Jiang said no funeral service was held, and her husband's body was not properly embalmed.

When Chen's body was eventually released, it was said to be badly decomposed.

"He'd gone off before he'd been embalmed," a different funeral director told Stuff.

According to that Auckland funeral director, Chen had lost his arm in an accident, and the arm of a female mannequin had been put in his shirt sleeve.

Jiang said the case was very distressing for her and her son.

Coronial Services told Stuff it was investigating the case.

Coronial Services is in charge of ensuring families of the person who died are updated, and it provides case management and administrative support to coroners.

Chen was 39.