That’s exactly what I did on Saturday in Enfield, North Carolina.I was originally contacted by a man from Virginia who had buried his grandparents there back in the 60’s. When he went back to visit the graves, they had disappeared and the cemetery was in shambles. I headed out to investigate and was shocked by what I discovered. While at the cemetery, I watched a man with a chainsaw cut down debris that had grown around his father’s grave. Another coffin had been pushed off the side of a hill and was lodged between a massive rock and tree. Plus, someone was dumping used tires on the property and driving over graves to do it.
The gentleman that originally contacted me was in distress. He had a 100-year-old aunt that was supposed to be buried in the same plot as his grandparents, which was nowhere to be found. For hours we walked around the cemetery overgrown with poison ivy, trying to read the names on tombstones like this one buried in the woods. We finally decided that our efforts might me a lost cause.
So far, I haven’t been able to get in touch with the owner of the cemetery or the town manager but eventually someone always calls me back, even if it takes a dozen messages.
After two trips to the cemetery, one to the Enfield Police Department, more than 100 phone calls, and an endless amount of paperwork we were able to locate the missing graves.
ReplyDeleteI was told by the Police Chief that the Mayor of Enfield had been out to the sight and discovered them.
I guess a little investigative journalism really pays off sometimes!