DETROIT – A Detroit family was shocked when they discovered a man’s gravesite had several bodies inside.
“Four bodies were in there and none of them were his,” said the man’s aunt, Jacqueline Brown-Parks.
Desmond Stinson had suffered seizures for years and died in his sleep.
“He died in 2016 and we’re visiting someone else where his grave markers at,” Brown-Parks said.
The family buried Stinson at Gethsemane Cemetery. His mother recently died and the family wanted to bury Stinson next to his mother at a different cemetery. When they tried to exhume the body, they found several bodies in his plot.
“Everybody is blaming somebody but we are the victims in all of this,” Brown-Parks said.
The family is now worried this isn’t an isolated case.
“If that’s not my loved one, whoever Alan C. Williams is. I’ve just seen their body in my loved one’s spot,” Brown-Parks said.
Jamal Harris, deputy director of the Detroit General Services Department, issued a statement:
“We deeply apologize for the pain and upset this mistake has caused the Stinson family and are working to fully correct it as soon as possible.
“At this time we believe there was a record keeping issue related to this gravesite. Based on our review of available records, we believe Mr. Stinson was buried in an adjacent grave, and we are working to confirm this.
“We are in close contact with the family and will keep them updated.
“Unfortunately, the management company that ran the cemetery and performed the burial in 2016, walked away from their contract a year ago, after other issues of concern were raised. The City is currently in litigation over those matters, and we decline to comment further on that ongoing litigation.”
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