A state complaint alleges that Shawn Johnson Funeral and Cremation Services in Riviera Beach mishandled the body of 11-year-old Re’Asia Washington, who died of an asthma attack Jan. 22.

RIVIERA BEACH — In a multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit filed Thursday, the family of an 11-year-old who died of an asthma attack last month alleges that the Riviera Beach funeral home hired to care for her body illegally moved it across state lines and improperly stored it, allowing Re’Asia Washington’s remains to decay.

Re’Asia’s mother, Ebony Morgan, tearfully told reporters during a news conference Thursday outside Shawn Johnson Funeral and Cremation Service’s office on East 30th Street about seeing her daughter’s nearly unrecognizable body last week at the funeral home known for its personalized services, complete with customized caskets, picture banners and balloons.

"When I saw her face, it looked like someone had threw acid on her face, or she was pushed into a fire and just left to burn," Morgan said. Her scalp was coming off her head, and the body smelled.

She and Re’Asia’s father, Reginald Washington, are seeking $10 million in damages from the funeral home, its three managers — Shandelrio "Shawn" Johnson, Ronald Warnecke and Alterraon Phillips — and its embalmer, Adrienne Leger.

Ebony Morgan speaking about seeing her daughter’s decomposed body. Shawn Johnson reportedly claimed she had a "skin slip." "I was scared." pic.twitter.com/sb19K3VTOb

— Olivia Hitchcock (@ohitchcock) February 13, 2020

In the lawsuit filed by Tayson Gaines with the Palm Beach County-based Gaines Firm, the family alleges a breach of contract with the funeral home, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, deceptive and unfair trade practices and conspiracy.

The family filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services, said Pierre Ifill, Re’Asia’s uncle and a Georgia-based attorney who is helping Gaines with the lawsuit.

"What we got was a mummified body that was not presentable for a service. What we got was excuses," Ifill said. "That’s not acceptable."

Multiple attempts to reach Johnson — the subject of a 2018 Palm Beach Post profile — and Warnecke have been unsuccessful. Reached Thursday, Phillips said they would respond through the courts.

What happened?

Re’Asia, a fifth-grader at Everglades Elementary School, died Jan. 22 on a family trip to Savannah, Georgia, when she had an asthma attack. (The family is having an autopsy performed to confirm that is what killed her, as relatives have speculated about hospital negligence as well.)

The lawsuit alleges that the next day, her family reached out to the funeral home about handling services for Re'Asia.

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On Jan. 24, someone with the funeral home transported Re'Asia's body to Florida from Georgia without either embalming or refrigerating her body. The funeral home also did so without a disposition permit, as required by Georgia law to move a body across state lines.

Days later, the family met with Johnson and was quoted prices of service packages.

On Jan. 31, Shawn Johnson allegedly refused to allow Morgan to see Re'Asia's body. She refused again Feb. 5 and Feb. 6

On Feb. 4, Morgan paid Johnson $3,055.

Two days later, Morgan reached out to the state about what rights, if any, she had to see her daughter’s body at the funeral home. (She could.)

Later that day, Morgan returned to the funeral home with a police escort. Johnson said either she or a colleague would bring Re’Asia’s body from a place in Fort Lauderdale.

Three and one-half hours later, Johnson reportedly returned with her boyfriend and rolled the body into the office. Inside, she allowed Morgan and her sister only to see Re’Asia’s face and hand.

When Morgan’s sister began taking photos, Johnson threatened to sue if she showed them to anyone.

A Riviera Beach police spokesperson said at this point the case is not a criminal investigation, or at least one that the agency is handling.

Morgan paid another $1,000.

On Feb. 7, Morgan informed Johnson that she was picking up her daughter’s body. However, Johnson claimed that the body was in a morgue in Fort Lauderdale. The morgue said it did not have a contract with the funeral home.

Morgan posted a Facebook Live video that morning, detailing the state in which she saw her daughter. It had since been viewed nearly 200,000 times as of midday Thursday.

The state license that Johnson, Phillips and Warnecke hold to operate a funeral establishment is valid through November 2020 under the licensee name RWS Funeral Services LLC. Leger is the business’ licensed funeral director and embalmer.

"We have not heard one apology" from the funeral home or anyone associated with the business, Ifill said.

Not alone

Ifill said his and Gaines’ law firms have heard 15 similar stories of alleged misconduct at the funeral home since Re’Asia’s story made its way around social media. In one situation, maggots reportedly were on the body. In another, the family had to close the casket because of the overwhelming smell.

Family had a makeshift memorial for Re’Asia on Saturday, but her body was not there. The family is doing a private autopsy for reported medical negligence at a hospital in Georgia after Re’Asia had an asthma attack. pic.twitter.com/fhCk6bNuLc

— Olivia Hitchcock (@ohitchcock) February 13, 2020

Another instance involved Re’Asia’s uncle, Steven Simon, who was fatally shot in a car last July in what Riviera Beach police described as a targeted attack.

Simon’s mother, Shirley Ifill Whack, said she heard from a funeral home employee and a friend of Johnson after her granddaughter’s death that her son’s head allegedly fell off after his viewing.

She said Johnson repeatedly denied her requests to see Simon’s body in the days after his death. She first saw his body a few hours before the public viewing.

Ifill said his family is working to verify those claims.

"We definitely wouldn’t have brought my granddaughter here had we known," Ifill Whack said.

Chelsea Parham stood outside the funeral home Thursday afternoon as Re’Asia’s family spoke to reporters. She too had a story to share.

Re’Asia Washington’s family and attorneys representing the family in the civil suit are outside Shawn Johnson Funeral Home speaking about the case pic.twitter.com/nXcz1ZcYhJ

— Olivia Hitchcock (@ohitchcock) February 13, 2020

When her father, James Parham, died last year, her aunt coordinated his arrangements through Johnson’s funeral home.

Johnson repeatedly kept Chelsea Parham from seeing her father’s body, she said, until the day before the viewing.

She said that she waited an hour after their scheduled meeting time to be able to see him, and when she did, it hardly resembled her father. His body appeared bloated, and his skin was darker and sweaty, she said.

They had to cut the back of the Miami Dolphins jersey they planned to bury him in because his body had ballooned, she said.

She has not filed a complaint either with the state or law enforcement, she said, but she did share her story with Gaines and Ifill.

As Parham and another woman walked away from the funeral home, the other woman turned to Morgan and said: "I pray you all get some justice."

Staff researcher Melanie Mena contributed to this report.

ohitchcock@pbpost.com

@ohitchcock

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