The dead don't deserve this; nor do the living

Are there even laws that speak to these horrid acts? Who could have imagined such things happening?

Everybody should be shocked by this crime.

Curious wrote:

Are there even laws that speak to these horrid acts? Who could have imagined such things happening?
Everybody should be shocked by this crime.

Apparently there is no state oversight.

And if there WAS state/gov't. oversight, who knows what else may happen?

Very sad for all families.

This was going on for years!

There are some laws, and apparently the defendants are being charged with dismembering a human body or something like that. State and feds are on the scene but state investigators seem to be the ones in control. Either way, the idea is to charge them with something serious (and hopefully probable) at the outset and then the investigation can take the time to flip witnesses (who cares if the backhoe driver gets hard time, so he can be flipped, and maybe the brothers too), get them in the grand jury, conduct a full financial investigation of the woman, and then figure out what kind of fraud and other charges to include in the proposed indictment. Then we'd figure out what we're up against and figure out what kind of defenses we might have. I sure don't think she ought to get 30 years. There are murderers and rapists in for less than that.

Let's keep in mind that as horrible as this is, it is basically a fraud. Representations were made to plot buyers that they were getting a clean cemetery plot when in fact they were sold something to which the seller had no title, so title never passed to the buyers, and they were defrauded. They also were not told that their plots were the sites of other people's old bones, or that their loved ones would be stacked in with somebody else's dead bones. Those are material misrepresentations, and they were used to obtain money. Not much of an interstate connection or use of wires or mails if people brought cash to the cemetery and paid in cash, so it's a state fraud and conspiracy case in addition to whatever charges they want to throw in there.

Good to see Tom Dart doing good work for the people of Cook County. Liked the kid the first time I met him a long time ago when he was one of the youngest State Reps in Illinois history. Keep up the good work Tommy - good on ye.

Usually when this type of thing occurs the people that benefit are much richer and they have court orders in their hands.

What are Richies plans for the folks buried out at O'Hare and who will benefit?

While I agree that it is deplorable; what about the old cemeteries in back of O'Hare? Why are these people somewhat less important?

The answer in each and every case is:$$$...

I don't understand how this was allowed to happen for years.

Don't people visit their deceased family members?

If they were in one spot and they were dug up and somebody else is there, would the new tombstone/plaque be a clue?

As far as the Civil Rights martyr Till, why wasn't a more appropriate tombstone dedicated to him due to his influence and possible kick start for the Civil Rights Movement? Why didn't Jesse "extortionist" Jackson, a guy during the Civil Rights era, do something to honor this young man in a more appropriate way with the families blessing?

This has been happening for years. The people that were out there in droves, where have they been lately? I am not blaming them, this despicable action is on the hands of these four so far, their greed and disrespect for the dead is what allowed this. But where were the family members? How come if they noticed something didn't they speak up? Why weren't they more forceful in demanding answers? As far as the wolves, if somebody new was buried there, did the old headstone stay or was their a new one? A lot of this doesn't make sense and the deceased were left with nobody to care after them, not those entrusted at the cemetery and not their family.

I know the reporters and the journalists won't ask the families about that, it is not PC, it is not nice. Just ask them, "How did you allow this to happen?" Yet, when I was watching the news regarding this story, a few family members were asking why didn't anybody do anything? Were were the officials? MY QUESTION - WHERE WERE YOU? Hopefully, this never happens again and a bill introduced that allows for better oversight and expanded oversight of cemeteries.

Tyrone wrote:

I don't understand how this was allowed to happen for years.
Don't people visit their deceased family members?
If they were in one spot and they were dug up and somebody else is there, would the new tombstone/plaque be a clue?
As far as the Civil Rights martyr Till, why wasn't a more appropriate tombstone dedicated to him due to his influence and possible kick start for the Civil Rights Movement? Why didn't Jesse "extortionist" Jackson, a guy during the Civil Rights era, do something to honor this young man in a more appropriate way with the families blessing?
This has been happening for years. The people that were out there in droves, where have they been lately? I am not blaming them, this despicable action is on the hands of these four so far, their greed and disrespect for the dead is what allowed this. But where were the family members? How come if they noticed something didn't they speak up? Why weren't they more forceful in demanding answers? As far as the wolves, if somebody new was buried there, did the old headstone stay or was their a new one? A lot of this doesn't make sense and the deceased were left with nobody to care after them, not those entrusted at the cemetery and not their family.
I know the reporters and the journalists won't ask the families about that, it is not PC, it is not nice. Just ask them, "How did you allow this to happen?" Yet, when I was watching the news regarding this story, a few family members were asking why didn't anybody do anything? Were were the officials? MY QUESTION - WHERE WERE YOU? Hopefully, this never happens again and a bill introduced that allows for better oversight and expanded oversight of cemeteries.

WELL SAID! I was thinking the same thing...why were the family members not doing anything?

mtscls wrote:

<quoted text>
WELL SAID! I was thinking the same thing...why were the family members not doing anything?

I think in some cases (but not all) these may have been the last members to be buried with no living relatives, or in other cases relatives who no longer live in the area. If this happened to my grandfather I would never know, seeing as he's buried in Texas and I haven't visited his grave in 4 years.

Hey, This would make a great movie. cz

I've never seen people so concerned over something (dead relatives) they obviously haven't visited in years.

I am at a loss for words, at least any that are printable in a family newspaper, for something this horrific. I can't believe the greed of these people. It would be bad enough as many of the people paid in cash to overcharge them and, pocket the difference but, to dig them up and discard them. As to visiting graves it's true that many do not do that or do it rarely but, many have no family to visit. My mother died four years ago and, was my last living relative. I am unmarried with no children and when I die it's highly likely no one will be visiting me. I would also like to add that the graves of those buried by O'Hare should also be respected and left alone. That was their final resting place and should remain where they are.

This story hurts knowing a persons final resting place is subject to this type of treatment.

I hope they lock everyone up and down the chain of this caper.

Let's not get sidelined about why people didn't visit their deceased relatives more often. Some people don't like to visit cemetaries, period. This is the kind of crime that sickens everyone. It's like something that would happen in WWII.
The perpetrators need to be punished publically to deter others from these gruesome actions. I am constantly amazed at what actions people will take to obtain money.

"Let's not get sidelined about why people didn't visit their deceased relatives more often. Some people don't like to visit cemetaries, period."

So if they don't like and don't care enough to visit, why do they care at all?

"Let's not get sidelined" by the lie that these graves had no descendants. Watch the news and you'll see that a lot of them have living relatives that all of a sudden care.

These graves were violated over the course of a few YEARS and NOBODY noticed until the cemetary owners reported suspicious activity to the cops.

So I ask again, if THEY don't care about their dead relatives bodies, why should WE care?

With those dumpsters in the background visible in the news media reports,(owned by Allied Waste) most of those remains would have ended up where most of Chicago's trash ends up, in the Newton County, IN landfill. From one grave to another.

How stupid do you have to be to ask the question, "where were the relatives?"

People die, people move. My relatives are all buried in and around Chicago. It has been a while since I have been to the graves. I used to visit when I was closer, but the price of gas, the distance, that keeps me away. I imagine there are a lot others in the same situation.

Then as somebody else noted, the person in the grave might be the last of the family.

So I say, to the persons that ask the question, "where were the families?", shut up! Shut your ignorant mouths and take your fingers off the keyboards.

And to the politicians, I say, Shut up and do something for a change. No knee jerk reactions and changes in the law, we have enough laws. No running to the microphones to shout out how bad this is. We all know already how bad this is.

Anita, Dart, Jackson, how about comforting the families. Answer their questions. Get away from the damm microphones and talk to the people whose faith has been destroyed, who are in shock. Let them know you will actually do something without pontificating about it.

It's only the right thing to do.

This happened once to a cemetery in an older part of Houston, where the families of the deceased had moved away and were not attentive. The cemetery owners decided they could moved all the graves to one side of the cemetery, clearing the other large piece of land for development.(Greed is always the motivation.) Fortunately someone in the neighborhood caught on to what they were doing, but not until all the bodies had already been reinterred in the really crowded section. It went to court and the outcome, in addition to some monetary settelments, was that the freed land was made into a park so the perps were unable to profit from it.

As an amateur genealogist, I am a devotee of cemeteries. These are markings of pur history and they should be respectfully preserved and protected. They also tend to be peaceful and shady walking locations. If this is an historic African cemetery perhaps families could apply for historic markers which could seriously impede future abuse.

Where was Jesse,and Al and all the rest of the community activests? They should have been there front and center and not rest till the people who did this get a lot of time. What would happen if it were whire people who did this?

John J Coughlin wrote:

Usually when this type of thing occurs the people that benefit are much richer and they have court orders in their hands.
What are Richies plans for the folks buried out at O'Hare and who will benefit?
While I agree that it is deplorable; what about the old cemeteries in back of O'Hare? Why are these people somewhat less important?
The answer in each and every case is:$$$...

That's a good point. All the media attention over what happened in Burr Ridge, and it is horrible, and yet the city of Chicago is trying to do exactly the same thing in their runway expansion in Bensenville, in forcibly moving graves that living relatives don't want moved, strictly for money. The only difference is that Chicago has the law on their side. But what they're doing is just as evil.

Great column. I don't see how a person could possibly do this and have a decent life. If you have no respect for anything, even the dead, then you are dead inside.