Burr Oak Tragedy Takes Toll On Investigators, Families
Authorities ask for public's patience
Tuesday, Jul 28, 2009 | Updated 1:18 PM CST
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Burr Oak Cemtery is now a crime scene with thousands of families wanting to know the fate of their relatives who were buried here.
By Sunday, the numbers were daunting. And the magnitude of last week' discovery of bodies being dug up at Burr Oak Cemetery had taken its emotional and physical toll.
More than 7,000 distraught families have filed paperwork, searched and were left wondering about the fate of their loved ones who had been buried at the historic cemetery.
So far, only 400 requests have been processed by 100 Cook County Sheriff's Office employees who have been working 16-hour days through the weekend, according to spokesman Steve Patterson.
" We have found ourselves bogged down by the disastrous record keeping at the cemetery and are shifting all resources to working through those records," Patterson said in a statement. "We can't make heads or tails out of many of these records and that is hampering our efforts to match names to information at the office."
The former manager of the cemetery, Carolyn Towns, 49, is charged with excavating 200 to 300 bodies that were discarded in the cemetery so their plots could be resold for cash. Towns, Keith Nicks, 45, Terrence Nicks, 39, and Maurice Dailey, 59, each face a felony charge of dismembering a human body and could be sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Patterson said sheriff's office employees will no longer accept information in person. Families concerned about loved ones buried at Burr Oak should email burroakcemeteryinvestigation@gmail.com or call the hotline at 800-942-1950. Updates can also be found at the Sheriff's web site, www.cookcountysheriff.org.
On Monday, investigators will begin the arduous task of accounting for each of the more than 100,000 grave sites in the cemetery in an effort to provide answers to the thousands of families who have made inquiries.
"We're asking for patience," Patterson said. "We're a sheriff's department suddenly thrust into the role of running a cemetery and trying to match decades-old records to family information. Honestly, family members have been incredibly patient and understanding so far and we're just asking that it continue as the criminal investigation takes hold."
Posted Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009 - 1:26 AM CST
