ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Former Albany City Commissioner Jalen Johnson and his family held the funeral for Johnson’s younger brother Philip Winchester on Saturday. On Friday, the family scrambled to make those plans because the funeral home they hired for the services deceived them over the handling of Winchester’s body, according to Johnson.

Winchester, 29, died on Monday, Sept. 22. His family hired The Promise Land Funeral Home for the services. But Johnson said when the family came to view his brother’s body on Friday, Sept. 26, his brother’s body wasn’t there.

“My mom asked ‘Can we see him?’” Johnson explained. “That’s when [a funeral home employee] walks into another room, wasting time, looking in another room, and then he comes back [saying] ‘I got to ask my funeral home director,’ but he comes back with no, nothing. That’s when my mom peeved. She said ‘My son is not here.’”

Johnson and his family gathered in front of The Promise Land Funeral Home, expressing their anger and frustration. Johnson said the funeral home did not have power nor running water and did not appear prepared to host the funeral on Sunday.

According to Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler, Winchester’s body had been taken to a funeral home in Adel, which was outsourced to embalm Winchester.

Albany police officers escorted The Promise Land Funeral Home owner Eddie Cobb from the property on Friday so he could leave safely. Cobb did not speak to WALB at the scene.

The funeral for Philip Winchester was held at Poteat-Wakefield Funeral Home on Saturday. Johnson says the family had previously paid Cobb to perform the services but they did not give permission for the Adel funeral home to provide the embalming service and they want a refund. Calls to The Promise Land Funeral Home on Saturday were not answered.

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