Graves in Chicago cemetery desecrated and stripped for profit

Authorities say that, over the last several years, more than 100 bodies at Burr Oak cemetery have been dumped "in a massive pile on cemetery grounds" so the plots could be resold.


The photo above shows broken vaults after bodies were disinterred

Burr Oak cemetery was Chicago's first African-American cemetery. It is located in the town of Alsip, 12 miles south of Chicago.

The four charged are shown below:


(Left to right) Former Burr Oak Cemetery manager Carolyn Towns, 49, grounds foreman Keith Nicks, 45, dump truck operator Terrence Nicks, 39, and back-hoe operator Maurice Dailey, 59.

The Arizona-based owner of the cemetery, Perpetua Inc., said in a statement Thursday that the company is cooperating with investigators.

"We will make every attempt to insure and maintain the dignity of those that have been entrusted to our care," the company said.

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