The family of Kevin Fairfield, a 65-year-old grandfather who died suddenly of a heart attack on July 21, 2024, have alleged that his body was left to decompose for 12 days at a Co-op funeral parlour in Dunfermline, Scotland. His children, Keiron Fairfield, Kali Hope, and Kev Fairfield, arranged for their father to be taken to the Co-op funeral services that evening and requested embalming so they could pay their respects in a chapel of rest. They also provided his favourite suit.
Ten days later, on July 31, the family received a telephone call from the funeral service warning them against visiting as 'nature had taken its course'. On August 2, they transferred their father's care to Callum Robertson funeral directors, who discovered that his body had been neglected and was 'extremely decomposed'. The family were informed it was impossible to prepare the body for viewing, leaving them unable to say a final goodbye. Daughter Kali described being 'absolutely heartbroken' and said the trust they placed in the funeral home had been betrayed.
Upon taking over care, Callum Robertson noted in a letter that 'nothing had been done to care for him' and that the body had not been embalmed. The suit remained untouched in its carrier, and the clothes he died in had only just been removed and placed in a biohazard bag. The family were also told that no coffin had been arranged for him, despite Co-op staff earlier inviting them to sit with his coffin on July 31. Kali questioned whether they were meant to sit with an empty coffin.
The family eventually held a funeral for Kevin on August 9, 2024. They exchanged correspondence with the Co-op through solicitors until the Co-op offered a five-figure sum, which the family accepted on May 7, 2025, but have chosen not to disclose the amount. The Co-op issued an apology, acknowledging that their standards had fallen short. Kali stated that the family would have accepted nothing if they had received answers, adding that 'failure to care for a body properly should be a crime'.
The family plan to use some of the compensation to take Kevin's ashes to Holland, where he holidayed annually since childhood. Kali noted that the Co-op's information was so inadequate that they produced two conflicting timelines and recorded her father's height incorrectly. She expressed ongoing grief, saying that nearly two years later, the experience has overshadowed their ability to mourn and left them with guilt, though they did their best.
