Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced that a re-internment ceremony will be held for the human remains and grave items recovered in the 2009 Burr Oak Cemetery investigation.
The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17 at Burr Oak Cemetery, 4400 W. 127th Street Alsip, in the rear section of the cemetery where the majority of more than 2,000 human remains and grave items were found. Sheriff Dart believes they should be buried with dignity and respect.
Families with loved ones buried at Burr Oak are invited to join Sheriff Dart for the event, which is open to the public.
This event and laying to rest of the victims mark the symbolic culmination of a 7-year scandal following the Sheriff’s Office revelation in July 2009 that led to charges against four cemetery workers who desecrated graves and resold the plots. All four defendants – Carolyn Towns, Keith Nicks, Terrence Nicks and Maurice Dailey — have been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the scheme.
Burr Oak Cemetery has been under new management and improvements have been made. The national exposure and deplorable circumstances of the Burr Oak scandal led to sweeping reforms and renewed oversight of cemeteries both in Cook County and throughout the nation.
Sheriff Dart would like to thank the Cook County Funeral Directors Association for their assistance with this event, the Lake Forest Casket Company for donating caskets and Vance Livery for donating transportation.