A Brownsville, Texas couple is suing their maternity hospital for delivering their stillborn baby Mateo Lievanos, to the Delta Funeral Home frozen in a bucket, according to Courthouse News Service.

"The hospital clearly mishandled Mateo, and the hospital did not properly preserve him," the complaint reads.

Maritza and Joel Lievanos are suing Valley Baptist Health System in Cameron County Court, seeking punitive damages for negligence and emotional distress.

As the baby's mother was arriving for the newborn's funeral, "Mrs. Lievanos had the horrific experience of finding her son's body in a bucket," the couple's court complaint states. "The hospital had shoved the baby in the bucket with his head between his legs in liquid and froze the baby before turning possession of the body over to the funeral home that morning. The funeral service was canceled and the plaintiffs were forced to cremate baby Mateo "

Maritza and Joel Lievanos say they were informed 28 weeks into the pregnancy that their child had died in utero from a heart condition. Maritza delivered the stillborn baby in December 2011 at a Rio Grande Valley hospital.

"At that time, she was also advised by hospital staff to make funeral arrangements for her child," the complaint states. "The plaintiffs acted on said advice. After going in for delivery and several hours passing, the child was delivered late that evening as a 15 inch, three-pound, 12.8-ounce baby boy...After being wrapped in a newborn's blanket and placed into his parents' arms, plaintiffs Maritza and Joel Lievanos were able to spend some time with him before he had to be prepped to be transferred for funeral services at Delta Funeral Home in Brownsville."

The stillborn baby's parents scheduled the funeral for Monday, December 19, 2011.

"As soon as his mother was released from the hospital that day, she and her husband went to the funeral home. Upon arrival, Mrs. Lievanos had the horrific experience," the complaint reads.