The Cook County Sheriff's office oversaw the burial of 11 bodies Saturday morning at a South Suburban cemetery after finding the caskets had been set aside to bury later.
“Our main concern is to make sure these individuals receive a proper burial so they aren’t stacked in the back of a chapel and then our investigation will continue,” said Cook County Sheriff Detective Jason Moran.
Investigators discovered the unburied bodies at Homewood Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Homewood after man found his friend's casket stacked in the chapel, Moran said.
Dwayne Cook discovered the bodies on Wednesday while visiting the grave of his friend whom he thought had been buried. Cook told police he had a suspicion the burial was not completed and went into the chapel nearby where he found the coffins, said Moran.
All eleven coffins were considered public aid burials, according to police.
"It shouldn't matter if you are rich or poor," Cook said with choked with emotion. "You should be given a decent respectful burial.
The cemetery said they had problems with staff and one of their workers had been let go which caused a delay in burials, Moran said.
No charges have been filed at this time.
