A case of mistaken identity led to 2 women being placed in the incorrect casket. The deniable notion that all black people look alike played out even after death
Vivian Fairley, 54, died on May 30, 2026 and Steller Williams, 78, died the following day on May 31, 2026 both in North Carolina. Vivian’s body was placed in the wrong casket. Follow Charlotte Alerts on Instagram.
Vivian’s funeral was in June 2026. At her funeral, her body was not in her casket, instead Steller’s body was in the casket. When Vivian’s family came to the casket during the funeral, they noticed that it was not Vivian in the casket.
The family became alarmed and immediately notified the S & L Funeral Home who was hosting the funeral. The funeral home then said that the body in the casket was correct and they left Steller’s body in the casket. The family was very upset.
The S & L funeral home then proceeded to bury the wrong body in Vivian’s casket. Hence, Steller was buried in Vivian’s casket.
Their funerals were scheduled one day apart in Fair Bluff, NC. Then came Steller’s funeral, but of course instead of Steller’s body in the casket, it was Vivian’s dead body in the casket. Steller’s family also complained to S & L Funeral Home notifying them that Steller’s body was not in the casket.
S & L Funeral Home then took the claim seriously and discovered that the wrong bodies were in the caskets during the funerals. The funeral home then had to dig up the casket that Steller’s body was in which was suppose to contain Vivian’s body. After being dug up Steller’s wig was on backwards and her lipstick was hanging from her mouth.
S & L Funeral Home admitted to the mistake, but blamed the hospital for mixing up the names. The women do favor each other, but they are not related. There is a stereotype that all black people look alike. But black people look different from each other just like any other race.
