One year after former New Orleans Saints player Glenn Foster Jr. died in police custody, his family has sued an Alabama funeral home for allegedly cremating his brain without consent, thereby preventing a proper examination.
According to a statement from the family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, funeral home company, Carriage Services, destroyed Foster’s brain ‘in breach of the contract between the parties.’
Foster Jr. died in December 2021 with reported signs of ‘neck compressions and strangulation’ while in Alabama police custody, according to an independent pathologist hired by his family. Dr. Michael Baden, a well-known pathologist, indicated that the 31-year-old African-American man did not die of ‘natural causes,’ according to a 2021 statement from Crump. Foster’s family believes he was having a manic episode leading to his arrest.
One year after former New Orleans Saints player Glenn Foster Jr. (pictured) died in police custody, his family has sued an Alabama funeral home for allegedly cremating his brain without consent, thereby preventing a proper examination
The lawsuit was brought by Foster’s widow, Anny Pamela Foster, who continues to try and get answers surrounding her late husband’s death. The defendants in the filing include Carriage Services, Garden of Memories Funeral Home, Schoen and Son Funeral Home, John Appel, Jr., and ACORD Corporation.
Carriage Services, Garden of Memories Funeral Home, as well as Schoen and Son Funeral Home did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
‘Mrs. Foster and her family have experienced so much tragedy already, and the mishandling of her beloved husband’s remains and destruction of his brain add insult to injury,’ plaintiffs’ co-counsel Ken Abbarno said in a statement. ‘The defendants in this case had one job to do, and their gross negligence and incompetence are nothing short of horrific.
‘A full year later, significant questions remain as to why Mr. Foster died in the back of that police car,’ Abbarno continued. ‘Pickens County still owes Mrs. Foster and her family answers regarding her husband’s death. That the family now must also contend with the mishandling of his body is truly heartbreaking.’
Foster was arrested for driving twice the speed limit and evading police through the rural Alabama community on December 3. Police say he was handcuffed and taken into custody without incident.
‘He was healthy when we left him at the jail,’ Reform (Alabama) Police Chief Richard Black said in 2021.
Attorney Benjamin Crump (center, pictured in April of 2021) is working with Foster’s family and enlisted Dr. Michael Baden to review a medical examiner’s findings in the case
Foster’s family came to town on December 4, 2021 and made bond on the condition that police took him to Birmingham for any medical assessment that was needed, according to a police statement. But the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office had placed a hold on Foster by December 5, 2021, when he allegedly beat another prisoner.
While being handcuffed, Foster fought against a Pickens County deputy and a correctional officer, injuring the deputy’s nose and hand, according to court records obtained by The Associated Press.
Foster had an initial court appearance before Pickens County District Judge Samuel Junkin, where he was ‘non-compliant and refused to respond to answer any questions’ aside from demanding an attorney, the judge wrote in an order Monday.
Based on police observations and how Foster behaved, the judge said Foster was ‘not mentally stable and a danger to himself and others’ and ordered him held without bond for a mental evaluation at Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility in Tuscaloosa.
But what happened from that time until his death in December of 2021 is unclear. Few other details, including the results of an autopsy, have been released.
Dr. Michael Baden, a well-known pathologist working with Foster family lawyers, indicated that the 31-year-old African-American man did not die of ‘natural causes,’ according to a 2021 statement from attorney Benjamin Crump. Baden previously made headlines by disputing the New York medical examiner’s ruling that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide, suggesting he was really murdered. He has also examined other high-profile cases, such as the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year
His parents have since revealed that he struggled with bipolar disorder and told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate that they suspect he didn’t get proper treatment in custody.
‘Keeping people in your custody alive is literally the lowest bar we can set for a law enforcement agency, and is something that the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office failed to do,’ read a 2021 statement from the Foster family attorneys.
‘Pickens County owes the family the truth relating to Mr. Foster’s tragic death. These findings are deeply concerning and demand a full and transparent investigation into what happened to Glenn Foster Jr. and how he lost his life. We will not stop until we get answers and justice for Glenn, his family, and the community.’
Originally from Chicago, Foster has been living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He played two seasons for the Saints at defensive end, appearing in 17 games in 2013 and 2014.
The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation was the circumstances surrounding Foster’s death as recently as February. Bureau spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for an update on the investigation.
Foster was born in Chicago and played college football at Illinois. An undrafted free agent, he signed with the Saints and appeared in 17 total games over the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
He recorded eight tackles, three sacks and seven quarterback hits.
The Saints cut him before the 2015 season and he then started a second career as a real estate agent, developer and contractor.
He owned a countertop business with two retail locations.
‘I really can’t find the words to properly express,’ Foster’s former Saints teammate Terron Armstead wrote on Twitter. ‘Rest in peace Glenn Foster, you’ll be missed bro!’