NEW ORLEANS — Former Saints defensive end Glenn Foster died one year ago while in the custody of police in Alabama and the family still has plenty of unanswered questions both about how he died, and now, about how his body was handled at the funeral home in New Orleans.
As the family waits for updates on the details of how Foster died, they will file suit against Carriage Services of Louisiana Inc., the parent company of Jacob Schoen Funeral Home.
The family said it was planning to have Foster’s brain evaluated for traumatic injuries that he may have sustained while playing football. They say the funeral home did not properly preserve Foster’s brain and it was cremated.
“That was a vital part of that journey to justice,” said Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump. “(They wanted) to be able to preserve his brain and have his brain examined, to get answers for his family, his wife, his children, his community.”
Foster was arrested last December while driving in a rural area in Alabama. The family believes he may have been going through a mental health crisis at the time.
He died two days later while waiting to be released. After being hit with additional charges due to an alleged scuffle with officers inside of the jail.
The family says its independent autopsy suggests Foster may have died due to strangulation due to signs of neck compressions.
WWL-TV has reached out to the Jacob Schoen Funeral Homer for a response. As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, they have not sent one.
