The family of teen baseball star Grant Solomon who mysteriously died in July 2020 when his own pickup truck allegedly struck him have accused a Tennessee funeral home of breaking his ankles and discarding the clothes he was wearing on the day of the crash.
Grant’s mother, Angie Solomon, said she saw her son’s feet were contorted during a private family viewing at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home after asking for the lower portion of his mahogany-colored casket to be opened.
She told DailyMail.com she ‘almost fainted’ when she looked inside. Hospital records show his ankles had been uninjured in the crash.
Following her claims, Eric Bonetti, editor of Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, which has been covering the case, filed a complaint against the funeral home and owner with the Tennessee Board of Funerals.
In it he alleged that Angie was informed by a member of staff that Grant’s ankles had been ‘knowingly broken in order for the remains to fit the casket’.
The complaint also alleges that various personal effects had been destroyed ‘without authorization’. Angie claimed that when she asked the funeral home for her son’s clothes she was told they had been discarded because they were a ‘bio-hazard’.
Williamson Memorial Funeral Home denies the accusations. The board sent the funeral home a ‘letter of warning’ regarding Grant’s belongings being discarded but dismissed the allegations that his ankles had been broken.
Grant Solomon, 18, star baseball player, was starting his senior year of high school when he died in a tragic accident on July 20, 2020
Grant’s distraught mother, Angie Solomon standing at the podium at Grant’s funeral service
Pam Stephens, former owner Williamson Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Services, sold her three-generation family business in September 2021 to Pine Lawn Corporation
The Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers license and regulate funeral directors, embalmers and funeral establishments in the state of Tennessee, and are a division of the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance.
In June 2023, Bonetti sent the board a complaint letter asking them to investigate activity that occurred at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home and Cremation Services, on or about July 20, 2020.
In it, Bonetti alleged that the former owner/funeral director Pam Stephens, in conjunction with a member of their staff, ‘knowingly broke Grant’s ankles to fit him into an undersized casket when preparing him for casketing’.
He said, in part: ‘They told family members that they did this to fit Grant into his casket, which makes zero sense, as he was 6’4” and a standard casket size accommodates remains up to 6’5”.
‘I further believe this conduct was not authorized by the family and thus constitutes abuse of corpse under Tennessee law.
‘Moreover, Pam destroyed various personal effects belonging to the decedent without authorization.
‘On top of that, Pam was profoundly rude to family members and inappropriately waded into a dispute between the decedent’s parents.
‘I ask that you investigate and if these claims are verified, file criminal charges against all involved.’
On December 12, 2023, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance held a meeting regarding the complaint.
Angie said before the meeting she was interviewed by an investigator. Maggie Jenkins, Grant’s hairstylist, who saw his belongings in a bag at the funeral home before they were discarded, was also questioned along with her assistant Taylor.
Angie said her friend Melanie Hicks, daughter Gracie and Grant’s girlfriend Hannah were also present at the funeral home for the private viewing but were not interviewed.
During the meeting, the board said: ‘There was no evidence present other than the mother’s recollection that the decedent’s ankles had been broken, as alleged.’
They added: ‘We would recommend a letter of warning related to the alleged disposal of the decedent’s clothes. We will make a motion that we approve council’s recommendation of letter of warning.’
Funeral home owner Pam Stephens is the president of the board of the Tennessee Department of Funerals and Embalmers. It was not clear if she was present at that meeting.
Williamson Memorial Funeral home located in Franklin is where Grant’s viewing was held on the morning of July 25, 2020
The complaint coordinator that was sent to Eric Benet of Anglican Watch informing him that the matter was closed and that a letter of warning was issued
Bonetti told DailyMail.com he received a response letter from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance on December 21.
In it he was informed by complaint coordinator Belinda Rivers that a letter of warning had been issued regarding Grant’s clothes, and the matter was closed.
Rivers wrote: ‘The above referenced complaint information has been reviewed by our legal staff, and has been presented to the Board.
‘Accordingly, the Board voted to close this matter with a letter of warning as the most appropriate determination in accordance with the laws and rules.
‘Please be advised that there are no appeal rights on behalf of a Complainant to challenge the Board’s decision. If you desire legal advice or to file suit against the Respondent, please consult with independent legal counsel of your choosing.
‘Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.’
Bonetti told DailyMail.com he is in the processing of filing an FOIA request to obtain more documents regarding his complaint.
When DailyMail.com contacted Williamson Memorial Funeral Home it adamantly denied the accusations.
A spokesperson said: ‘Williamson Memorial Funeral Home (Williamson Memorial) takes great pride in its operations, ethics and long-standing service to the greater Franklin community.’
‘We are aware of Anglican Watch and Ms. Angie Solomon’s repeated and continued patently false allegations about Williamson Memorial’s handling of her son, Grant Solomon’s funeral services.
‘These allegations are intentionally defamatory, especially following closure of the Complaint with the Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, and are an insult to Williamson Memorial and its staff.
‘Williamson Memorial is a proud member of its community and has always served families and their loved one’s with the utmost care and dignity.’
Angie said that she is still trying to obtain the funeral home records nearly four years after the tragedy, and is now seeking legal counsel on the matter.
Grant was an all-star athlete who was starting his senior year of high school
Grant’s mother is searching for answers for years after his mysterious death and won’t rest until she get justice for her son
Grant was also a standout basketball player
Grant’s pickup truck is pictured in a gravel ditch. The incident report indicated that the point of first impact was the rear end of the vehicle and the car had functional damage
Fourteen months after Grants death, Pam Stephens sold the funeral home (Williamson Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Services) to Park Lawn Corporation.
The acquisition was announced in a September 1, 2021 newsletter reviewed by DailyMail.com.
Despite the acquisition, Stephens is still listed as a funeral director, and her daughter Mandi Goodrich is listed as a funeral director and location manager.
When DailyMail.com reached out to Stephens regarding the allegations being made, her daughter Mandi Goodrich said she was unavailable. Another time they inquired, the funeral home said she was out-of-town.
Bonetti told DailyMail.com: ‘We were motivated to file because we know Angie and Gracie and love them and want to give them a voice. We can’t bring Grant back, but we can help protect his mother and sister.’
The scene of the accident shows Grant’s white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck that he was reportedly struck and killed by on the morning of July 20, 2020
Aaron gave a statement to the Gallatin Police Department
Grant suffered from blunt force trauma indicated on medical document
The day Grant died, the morning of July 20, 2020, he was meeting his father, Aaron Solomon, a former Tennessee news anchor, at Ward Performance Institute, a baseball training facility in Gallatin, approximately 50 miles from his home in Franklin.
Less than 10 minutes after arriving at the facility, Aaron called 911 and said his son was trapped underneath his pickup truck. The 6-foot-5 athlete, who was starting his senior year of high school, died shortly after.
The Gallatin Police Department recorded Grant’s death as a parking lot accident, ruled it as accidental and closed the case.
However, Grant’s devastated family claims there was no investigation, no reconstruction of the scene and no autopsy or toxicology performed.
Grant’s father signed the ‘authority to release body’ form, which shows he did not request an autopsy. On it he listed Williamson Memorial Funeral Home as the recipient.
A GoFundMe created by Freedom for Gracie is to help raise funds so the family is able to conduct their own investigation into Grant’s death.
Angie said that the money will go towards exhumation, out-of-state autopsy, accident reconstruction, and an increased reward.
They are also working with private forensic company to obtain a CAD – a computerized-aided design – to help with the accident reconstruction of the scene using the topography of the land and specs of the truck as part of their investigation.
The ‘authority to release body’ form shows no autopsy was performed on Grant
Pictured: Grant’s father, Aaron Solomon, a former news anchor, at WSMV Channel 4
Angie is a doctor of pharmacy. She is pictured here with her boy, Grant
Six months after Grant’s mysterious death, Angie brought in Dan Hodges, a private investigator and former special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Hodges’ specialty include general criminal investigation, hostage negotiations, criminal profiling, foreign counter intelligence, and narcotics interdiction.
The private investigator told DailyMail.com that after going to the scene and reviewing all the reports – police, coroner’s, medical, private reconstruction, it doesn’t add up.
Last month, he announced that a $5,000 reward is being offered for ‘information leading to the identification of witnesses, and an additional $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator.
‘We are hoping that one of the three men in the Hi Vis vests, who was at the scene will come forward,’ he said.
He also revealed that there maybe some new information that he is working on that could potentially ‘break the case wide open.’
The family has also created a petition on Change.org that has also gone viral to help reopen the investigation. The petition has garnered more than 327,847 signatures towards their goal of 500,000.
Grant would have turned 22 in June. His unexplained death has left the family reeling in pain, and Grant’s mother will not rest until she gets justice for her son.
As of Saturday, the GoFundMe has has raised nearly $130,217 towards their goal of $250,000.
