Ohio funeral home in cremation error reopens

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge is allowing a new owner to reopen an Ohio funeral home that cremated the wrong child’s body and had its license suspended.

The state funeral board voted this week to block the takeover of the Marlan J. Gary Funeral Home in Columbus. But a county judge on Wednesday temporarily stopped the panel from closing the home after the new owner said the board improperly discussed the matter in private.

Board director Malik Hubbard tells The Columbus Dispatch he doesn’t know how the panel will respond.

Its members had objected to the new license because the home’s name wasn’t changing. They said consumers would think management was still the same.

A mix-up at the morgue led the home to cremate a 14-month-old boy against his parents’ beliefs.