DETROIT – One man is trying to find the relatives of those he believes to be buried in a “hidden cemetery” right next to the family home.
He said he found it in a vacant lot on Doyle Street, near the intersection of East McNichols Road and Van Dyke Avenue.
“It’s an eerie feeling of people just next door. You don’t know who they are, where they came from or where their family is,” said Patrick Wiggins.
It was the last thing Patrick expected to see while playing ball with the family.
“Kids were roaming around and found one -- first one we noticed were the ones behind the tree. Then just after more looking, then we noticed a row of them here,” Patrick recalled.
Patrick believes it could be a somewhat “hidden cemetery” in the vacant lot right next to the family home.
“Just thought it was odd to be in the middle of the neighborhood you know. I’m pretty sure people would want to know where their families ended up at,” Patrick insisted.
Since finding the markers, he’s been trying to find family. So we joined in on the search. There’s a church across the street, but they had no idea.
“They said none of the names looked familiar or anything like that,” Patrick explained.
We found in total five grave markers with visible names. Nearly all were born in the 1800s with Some of them dying as early as the 1920s, others in the 1940s.
Some immediate relatives like children have been listed as deceased as well. So where did these headstones come from? There are two cemeteries near the site, but neither had any record of any of the names.
After making several phone calls to the city, we found out this is strictly a residential area. So could this be an actual gravesite or just headstones that have been laid a row some time ago?
We’re waiting to hear back from the State’s Cemetery Commissioner who can hopefully give us more info on this mystery. If it is a gravesite…. Patrick just wants the loved ones to know where they are.
“Maybe they don’t want to know, but at least they’ll have that opportunity,” Patrick added.
This family has lived here for about 30 Years. A home next door was recently demolished, leading to these being found. As this story unfolds, Local 4 will keep everyone posted.
Below are the names listed on the markers. Relatives can contact Local 4 here.
| Names | Dates |
|---|---|
| Anna E. Gilling | 1862-1947 |
| August Grossans | 1856-1926 |
| Ethel M. Vermeulen | 1902-1947 |
| Peter Weisenhoefer | 1872-1932 |
| Mary Zabaczynski | 1886-1941 |