Burr Oak Cemetery to go for 25 Grand? YourFuneralGuy

Burr Oak Cemetery is to be auctioned off by a US Federal Bankruptcy Court

The Burr Oak  Cemetery Auction is Scheduled for auction on April 26th 2010. Right now there is newly formed company who has made  bid on Burr Oak Cemetery, The  biding firm is  Cemecare. Perpetua  is the company going  bankrupt in US Federal Bankruptcy Court.

The bid consists of:

$25,000 dollars for Burr Oak Cemetery(105 acres). In all likelihood this will become an historical cemetery and there will be few or no burials there.

$250,000.00  dollars for Cedar Park Cemetery(90 acres). This will be a fully operational cemetery.

The offer accepted last week calls for Cemecare to pay $25,000 for the 105-acre Burr Oak Cemetery and $650,000 for the 90-acre Cedar Park Cemetery, Korenthal explained.
Korenthal said while Cemecare’s offer has been accepted another buyer could still purchase the cemeteries if their bid exceeds $675,000 at a scheduled April 26 public auction.
“The properties will go to the highest bidder, so if an offer comes in at $1 million then Cemecare would have to make a higher offer to acquire the properties,” Korenthal told the Defender. “But whoever ends up buying Burr Oak they would not be responsible for the civil lawsuits that have been filed.”

via www.chicagodefender.com

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy, Funeral Director, Illinois and Virginia.

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal-Will names of those in Desecrated Graves be revealed?|Your Funeral Guy

One of the questions that is often asked of me is: Will the full list of names of the Desecrated Dead in the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal be revealed?

The answer is in all likelihood no. Although there is an ongoing FBI Investigation in this matter, DNA testing has not been done(and will not be done) on all of the bones recovered. It is simply too expensive and logistically impossible.

The Cook County Sheriff has a list posted on line of those graves that are known to be undisturbed.

A dug up list is much more of a mess. There is evidence that graves were dug up under the current owner Perpetua Inc. They are in Bankruptcy proceedings. These current owners do not have the money to complete a complete investigation of the graves that have been dug up.

It is not clear under the bankruptcy court whether new owners or current one will be required to post online a list of those graves or (names) that have been disturbed. The cemetery will be sold at auction sometime soon. We will have to wait and see what happens in the sale.

A former Perpetua Manager of the cemetery Slivy Edmonds Cotton claims that a previous owner disturbed graves going back to the 1990′s. If this is true, and it appears be, there will be no comprehensive listing of people who graves have been dug up.

Word of Mouth evidence suggests graves were disturbed going back to the 1960′s and before which is not good news for a complete listing.

Funeral Industry| Funeral industry | Funeral blog |Your Funeral Guy

Link to Mindboggling Burr Oak Cemetery 2003 internal Memo-YourFuneralGuy

Illinois Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal Heating up the Illinois Governors Race

There is a link posted here to the mindbboggling  “Perpetua”  Burr Oak Internal Memo- from Silvy Cottton To Employees and or investors.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BURR OAK CEMETERY INTERNAL MEMO FROM 2003

A Friday night report by ABC CHICAGO revealed that The Illinois Comptroller Hynes office had the memo, and was aware of Potential  Burr Oak Cemetery  body desecration in 2003.

The Memo Clearly points to a  Perpetua INC,  cover up of known Grave desecration with an effort to hide the  info from  ILLINOS COMPTROLLER OFFICE  EMPLOYEE DAVID FOLEY.  Perpetua is a Funeral and cemetery company owner the of Burr Oak Cemetery (Scandal).

Comptroller Hynes Burr Oak Cemetery “not my job” regulating cemetery operations -RESPONSE- is true.  he only was responsible for Financial regulation. Still this does not play well with voters. The whole thing smacks of a smear campaign by sitting ILLINOIS governor Pat Quinn.

THE LATEST INFORMATION REVEALS PERPETUA INC AND SLIVY EDMONDS COTTON  ATTEMPTING TO  COVER UP GRAVE DESECRATION, AND POSSIBLE GRAVE ROBBING at BURR OAK CEMETERY.

Astute lawyers and victims have included Perpetua Inc and Slivy Cotton in their lawsuits.

Funeral Industry| Funeral News,  Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Source (Capitol Fax Blog)

Rich Miller of the Capitol Fax blog is the best blogger on Politics in the State of Illinois.

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal 9,000 Graves beyond capacity-YourFuneralGuy

Burr Oak Cemetery: Illegal grave stacking has this scandal ridden site beyond capacity

The Burr Oak Cemetery is 9,000 graves beyond capacity. This according to Cook County Sheriff  Tom Dart. The Burr oak cemetery Scandal was one of the top funeral scandals in 2009 and the past decade. In July 2009,  4 people were arrested  and  over three hundred graves were found desecrated.

The legal impact on the owners of the company, Perpetua, Inc has  not been revealed. How could the owners not have know?. How could the executives at this neglectful company not be aware? Mismanagement definitely. Fraud Maybe. What will be the effect of this information on the many Burr Oak Cemetery Lawsuits?

Snippet:

CHICAGO — Law enforcement officials say a new study shows thousands more people may be buried at a suburban ChicagoCemetery than the land is supposed to hold.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says the study suggests the practice of stacking caskets on top of each other or simply discarding remains was far more common at Burr Oak Cemetery than they suspected.

via www.forbes.com

Sheriff Dart has handled this scandal well. But their appears to be no relief for those families who are victims of this national tragedy

The lesson for the funeral consumer here is to to research information on the funeral  or cemetery provider you do business with.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your funeral Guy Funeral Director, Illinois, Virginia

The Top Ten Funeral Industry News Stories of 2009-Your FuneralGuy

Here are the top ten Funeral Industry News Stories In 2009. These Stories affected both the Funeral Industry an their consumers.

The #1 Funeral Industry News Story: WalMart Selling Caskets,This story change the mindset of the Consumer and the  Funeral Industry’s tacticson the sale of Caskets.

#2 Batesville Selling Vaults Batesville Casket C0.Testing Vault Sales after Very Bad Revenue Year

#3 Michael Jackson ‘s Golden Batesville Casket

#4. Batesville’s Revenue decline in 09.

For The first time since anyone can remember the leading casket maker’s Revenue was in trouble.

#5 World s Largest Funeral Corp Dominates Funeral Scandal For the Past decade

In fact in 2009 Service Corporation International became knowh as big Death and Enron Evil.

Who Shot Funeral Preneed? Click on #6 to Find Out!

#6.Who shot Preneed?

#7. Service Corporation Revenue Loss  contributed to  09 funeral Industry decline

#8 .Illinois Funeral Directors Association Ponzi Scheme .

#9. Burr Oak cemetery Scandal.

#10. Stewart Enterprises Inc Financial Numbers point to Funeral Industry decline.

Funeral Industry Decline in 09-Stewart Enterprises Inc

Stewart Enterprises Financial Report |more Funeral Industry Decline-Your Funeral Guy

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Burr Oak Cemetery is for sale-Your Funeral Guy

Burr Oak Cemetery is for Sale

Burr Oak Cemetery is now for sale. The cemetery just outside of Chicago is being sold by Perpetua, Inc. the owner. There is no word on any buyers at this time. This may or may not be good news for victims of the Scandal. Time will tell.

In July of 2009 graves were found desecrated with bones scattered  in piles around the cemetery. Recently Perpetua was given back control of the the cemetery, through a consultant. There is hope that the cemetery will reopen soon. There has been Federal legislation initiated because of this and other scandals The Bereaved Consumer Bill of Right Act

In a Chicago Bankruptcy Court hearing on Tuesday, Judge Pamela S. Hollis gave permission for Perpetua-Burr Oak Holdings of Illinois, L.L.C., owner of Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, to sell the cemetery that became infamous this summer for a grave desecration scandal that sent families searching for their loved ones.Perpetua filed for bankruptcy protection in September in the wake of a criminal investigation. The company told Judge Hollis it had hired American Cemetery/Mortuary Consultants Inc. as a consultant to assist in selling the cemetery.Attorney Robert Fishman, of Shaw Gussis Fishman Glantz Wolfson, in Chicago, said Perpetua doesn’t yet know of any buyers but hired a consultant with expertise in cemeteries.“All the pressure of the world is on us,” said Fishman during the hearing.

via news.medill.northwestern.edu

On Monday 50 Lawyers representing Plaintiffs in lawsuits were given a tour of the cemetery.

Funeral Industry|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

picCat Rabenstine/MEDIL via news.medill.northwestern.edu

Burr Oak Cemetery to use Radar-Your Funeral Guy

Latest in the Butr Oak Cemetery Scandal

The Burr Oak Cemetery will begin to use Radar in locating grave spaces. This is an effort to find places where burials can take place at the Cemetery. It is hoped that this will expedite the reopening of Burr Oak Cemetery-

In July 2009 over 300 graves were desecrated at Burr Oak Cemetery causing state and federal investigations.Burials were halted over the summer after four cemetery employees were arrested and charged in a scheme to empty graves, dump the remains and re-sell the newly-emptied gravesites….

Until now, Burr Oak consultant Roman Szabelski, who also runs Catholic cemeteries in the Chicago archdiocese, says long sticks have been used to determine whether graves are empty or not.  That’s time-consuming.  So, he says, in the next several weeks, a Florida company is being brought in to use radar devices to determine where there are available graves.

via www.wbbm780.com

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Federal Burr Oak Cemetery Reform|Named Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act

Congressional Funeral and Cemetery Reform H. R. 3655

The Congressional Reform  sparked by the Burr Oak Cemetery act is now available to view onine. The legislation is not named the Bereaved Consumers Protection Act-as reported in the Press. THE BEREAVED CONSUMERS  BILL OF RIGHTS ACT OF 2009 is the Official Name of the proposed law. The legislation is a welcome addition to the Funeral Rule.  Federal Burr Oak  Cemetery Reform is overdue.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NATIONAL BURR OAK CEMETERY REFORM LEGISLATION.

This legislation is increasingly important in 2009 not just because of the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal  but  because of a plague of recent  Cemetery and Funeral Scandals across the USA.

YOUR FUNERAL GUY FULLY ENDORSES THE BEREAVED CONSUMERS  BILL  OF RIGHTS ACT OF 2009.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Why The National Funeral Directors will not support H. R. 3655: NFDA OPPOSES  the FUNERAL RULE

March on Burr Oak Cemetery-YourFuneralGuy

There is more horror in the Burr Oak Cemetery, Perpetua the old owners are back!

The first of many Marches has been planned  on Burr Oak Cemetery. The first is scheduled to take place on September 20th 2009. This past week the keys to Burr Oak Cemetery were turned over  to  it’s negligent owner Perpetua, Inc.

The court receiver is no longer involved. Folks are afraid the owner from before the Scandal will not keep the cemetery up. More grave desecration is a possibility. Most certainly recompense for the Burr Oak Families will not be taking place now.

In July 2009, it was discovered that up to 300 graves were desecrated at the Burr Oak Cemetery near Chicago. The horror continued as piles of dismembered bodies  were  found around the Cemetery.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal |Horror|Incompetent owners in Control-your funeral guy

There is more horror in the Burr Oak Cemetery, Perpetua the old owners are back!

OUTRAGE-The incompetent owners  whose questionable (criminal?) behavior brought on the great Burr Oak Cemetery Grave desecrations are back in Control.

The Cook County Sheriff has vowed to do what he can to wrestle the keys away from Perpetua, Inc. The Cemetery is still closed. How do the owners think they will operate here in Illinois. All Hell is about to break lose!

Snippet From the Chicago Tribune:

“Roman Szabelski, the receiver appointed by a court to sort out the Burr Oak mess left the cemetery shortly after 9.30 a.m. after handing the cemetery keys to Perpetua spokeswoman Trudi Foushee. Perpetua is now in charge of clean-up operations at the cemetery.”

The problem with settling sca ndals like burr Oak cemetery in court is that the wheels of justice turn way too slowly.

The two other active Perpetua Scandals happening are

Wade Funeral Home  in St. Louis and from another Chicago Newspaper:

“Reports show Slivy Edmonds Cotton, who remains listed under Perpetua management, and Portico LLM Enterprises took over the Pet Cemetery of Tucson in 2008.

Portico sued the former owner this summer, alleging fraud and misconduct, including selling headstones that were not provided and breaking into Portico offices to delete files.

At Perpetua, Edmonds Cotton oversaw Cedar Park, 12540 S. Halsted St. She told the Daily Southtown in 2000 she was inspired by Cedar Park’s uniqueness and beauty.——-Daily Southtown. http://www.southtownstar.com/burr-oak/1723194,081909perpetua.article”

Funeral Industry|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy