At an emotional vigil for slain 5-year-old Zah’Layah Walton, a Texas funeral director publicly promised to handle the child’s funeral arrangements at no cost to the family. So it came as a shock, piled on top of tragedy, when Zah’Layah’s mother, Monica Hicks, received an itemized statement totaling nearly $10,000.
Pruitt’s In The Heights Funeral Home, however, says it’s a misunderstanding. But questions persist about how quickly the funeral home took custody of Hicks’ daughter’s remains and about its tactics in reaching out to the family.
Zah’Layah was fatally shot in the evening of Sept. 19 while riding with four other children in her mother’s car in Cypress, a suburb of Houston. The gunman, Jeremy Porter, 47, told authorities he mistakenly targeted their vehicle, believing it belonged to someone else. He is now facing a capital murder charge, which carries life imprisonment without parole and the death penalty.
Hicks said employees of Pruitt’s In The Heights contacted her almost immediately after her daughter’s death, including approaching her at the courthouse during a Sept. 22 hearing.
In the immediate aftermath, during an acutely stressful and vulnerable time for Hicks, she said she signed paperwork with the funeral home. She could not recall what the documents contained, according to reporting by local outlet Houston Stringer.
Community activists are ringing the alarm bell over the funeral home’s methods, questioning why the company retrieved Zah’Layah’s remains from the medical examiner’s office before a written agreement had been finalized.
Civil rights advocates Dr. Candice Matthews and Quanell X spoke in support of Hicks at a news conference on Sept. 24 outside of Pruitt’s in Houston. Matthews said she filed a complaint with state funeral regulators, and Quanell X called for an investigation.
Funeral home director Linda Davis stepped outside during the news conference to speak directly to the family, stating that she had not asked Hicks for money. Referencing a Federal Trade Commission rule, she explained funeral homes must provide an itemized statement to anyone making funeral arrangements. However, Hicks and her supporters say that when providing pro bono services, funeral homes typically adjust the bill accordingly, and they’re alleging a bait-and-switch.
Davis also disputed the claim that the funeral home picked up Zah’Layah’s remains without permission. On camera, she turned to Hicks and said, “Mom, you did authorize us to pick up your daughter.”
Amid the controversy, Hicks and community advocates chose to remove her daughter’s remains from Pruitt’s and transfer them to Signature Funeral Home, which provided the services at no charge.
