Burr Oak Cemetery|current management-yourfuneralguy

The Illinois Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal has promoted federal cemetery reform in the Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act(AkA Bereaved Consumers Protection Act.)

The Current management situation at Burr Oak Cemetery is a little confusing. According to a bankruptcy judge the current ” inependent  manager assigned is Howard Korenthal,a management consultant from the Morris Anderson Company in Chicago with experience in turning around troubled companies.

This seems somewhat unrealistic. the consultant has no apparent Funeral or Cemetery Experience. Perpetua, Inc is responsible for paying this individual. He cannot be removed without Court Permission.

A court appointed temporary, receiver from Catholic Charities in Chicago Roman Szabelski who was brought in to run Burr Oak Cemetery temporarily,  remains as a consultant.

Burr Cemetery remains closed.  What is going on now appears to be  in the best interest of Perpetua, Inc and not the families who where Victims of the grave desecration in the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral guy

March on Burr Oak Cemetery|Sunday, 9.20.09-Your Funeral Guy

A march on Burr Oak Cemetery occurred on Sunday, 9.20.09.

This was in response to the keys of the cemetery being turned over to the negligent owners Perpetua, Inc.  It  appeared that they had control of the cemetery even after the march on Sunday. With the help of  Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan Perpetua Inc control of the Cemetery will be limited.

Snippet from the Sun Times–

“The company Perpetua had regained control of the cemetery last week under federal bankruptcy laws after it filed for Chapter 11 protection. That move sent court-appointed receiver Roman Szabelski packing.

But under a deal approved today by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Pamela S. Hollis, Szabelski will be retained as a consultant and an independent chief operating officer will be brought it.”

Funeral Industry| funeral blog by R Brian Burkhardt, your funeral guy, Illinois and Virginia Funeral Director.

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 Hearing: Thursday, Aug.27th-YourFuneralGuy

The next Meeting of the Burr Oak Cemetery Task Force is to take place Thursday at the Thompson Center in Chicago on August 27th 2009.The hearing will take place between 2 and 4pm. Room  16-503

Burr Oak is the cemetery where over 300 Graves were desecrated. Four people have been charged in this matter. If you are concerned about your relatives buried at Burr Oak Cemetery it would be best to be at this meeting.

It has been reported that theCemetery Oversight Task Force(cemeterytaskforce.illinois)wants to hear from the owners of Burr Oak Cemetery. Burr Oak is owned by Perpetua, Inc. Presently  the cemetery is in Court  receivership.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

More information on Perpetua, Inc here

You can find out more and get help and more information on  the Burr Oak Cemetery here:

Cook County Sheriff’s website:www.burroak.net

Burr oak cemetery pic from religion dispatches.org

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal|Perpetua-owner absent-yourfuneralguy

In the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal the owners have been consistently absent. This has upset the Cemetery Oversight Task Force set up by Governor Pat Quinn. The President of Perpetua, Inc. Melvin Z. Byrant has called the situation at Burr Oak Cemetery “despicable” but no one has come on the scene to take responsibility for the situation.

From the Chicago Sun Times:

“Perpetua officers won’t speak to reporters. A public relations firm hired to field inquiries did not return phone or e-mail requests this week.”

Perpetua’s current directors:

Melvin Bryant as president and chief executive officer

Felix Villalba   director

Judy Romlin,  director.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

More information on Perpetua, Inc here

You can find out more and get help and more information on  the Burr Oak Cemetery here:

Cook County Sheriff’s website:www.burroak.net

Burr oak cemetery pic from religion dispatches.org

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal|Sheriff’s Database complete-yourfuneralguy

The County Sheriff has completed the Database for Burr Cemetery. This means that families can determine if there loved ones are located there by searching for a grave. This increases the possibility that the Cemetery may reopen soon. There has been no date announced.

The Burr Oak  Cemetery Scandal was discovered in 2009. There were  nearly three hundred graves disturbed and bones discarded and piled up around  the cemetery. Four People were arrested.

You can get help at the the Burr Oak Website :www.burroak.net

Funeral Industry Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Burr oak cemetery pic from religion dispatches.org

Burr Oak Cemetey Scandal:Illinois Panel Wants Owner,Perpetua-YourFuneralGuy

The panel appointed by the Governor of the State of Illinois Patrick Quinn to investigate the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal wants to hear from the owners, Perpetua Inc.

Members of the panel,Cemetery Oversight Task Force are to report on September 15th 2009.

The Illinois Panel wants to ask owners, Perpetua Inc about negligent to no oversight of the cemetery.

Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois is the cemeterywhere four workers are indicted on human body desecreation, theft, and digging up bodies(disinternmemt). They also  double-stacking coffins without family permission.

There is  news according to my sources in the other Perpetua, Inc Scandal. Deborah Kellom  convicted of stealing funds from  Wade Funeral Home a Perpetua property will be sentenced  at the end of August. She originally was supposed to be before a judge on July 24th.

Wade Funeral Home does up to 10 million dollars a year.

Funeral industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

More information on Perpetua, Inc here

You can find  out more and get help and more information  the Burr Oak Cemetery here:

Cook County Sheriff’s website:www.burroak.net

Burr oak cemetery pic from religion dispatches.org

Source1:cemeterytaskforce.illinois

Source2:chicagobreakingnews.com

Burr Oak Cemetery No Longer a Crime Scene-YourFuneralGuy

The latest news in the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal is that it is no longer a crime scene. This is according to the Cook County Sheriff”s website. The cemetery has been turned over to the Court Receiver. “BURR OAK CEMETERY WILL NOT BE REOPENED AT THIS TIME”

There is enough evidence gathered for prosecution. The Sheriff sees no need to excavate the cemetery for months or years.

As mentioned in the previous post the recovered bones will not undergo DNA testing. The investigation will continue off site.

From the Press Page at the Cook County Sheriffs Website.

“The turning over of day-to-day operations to the receiver is a step towards allowing the cemetery to conduct normal business,” Dart said.  “I want to thank the public for their patience during the time we were forced to close the cemetery to process the crime scenes and ask for their continued patience while Mr. Szabelski continues to work towards re-opening Burr Oak.  I hope that everything that has been done will help ease the pain of those with loved ones buried here and allow them to finally have some closure in this matter.”

Community Members have come together to form the Chicago Burr Oak  Cemetery Historical Society. They are working together to find a fan appropriate memorial for the bones unearthed at Burr Oak Cemetery.

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal|For some no answers-

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Burr Oak cemetery pic from Dallas News.

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal:FBI says bones|not to be DNA tested-YourFuneralGuy

There will Be No DNA testing on 1,100 discarded bones at Burr Oak cemetery

There will Be No DNA testing on 1,100 discarded bones at Burr Oak cemetery. The Chicago office of the FBI has stated that the bones recovered from Burr Oak Cemetery will not be tested.

This will come as a disappointment to many families would like to know whether or not there deceased relatives were among those who were dug up.The relatives of those desecrated are the victims.

We will never know the identities of many that were taken out of their graves. Approximately1,100 bones were recovered.

Assistant Special Agent Trautmann Director of the Chicago FBI office stated on August 7th 2009 :

“Even if we could’ve obtained the DNA profile from bones … then we have the problem of who we compare that to, not knowing who those bones belong to”

Cook County Sheriff Dart stated:

“For those individuals who are looking for every part of human remains that were disinterred to be recovered, that is not going to occur, it cannot occur,”

DNA testing on 1,100 Bones recovered in Burr Oak Grave Robbing Scandal is not to happen

Funeral industry Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

You can get some help here: Cook County Sheriff’s website:www.burroak.net

Burr oak cemetery pic from religion dispatches.org

Source: The Huffington Post

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal: the Sheriff’s Question:-YourFuneralGuy

The Cook County Sheriffs question on Friday deeply troubles me.   Why did not anyone  speak up? The answer to the Sheriff’s question is quite frightening. But it is not entirely unexpected.

Below is Sheriff’s Dart’s question on Friday after discovering more atrocities.

Snippet From the ChicagoSunTimes:

“How in God’s name this industry has been able to get away with having virtually no regulation or enforcement all these years is mind-boggling,Dart said.”

The answer is we do not like to think of death. When a loved passes on we are forced to think about dying. We  think about  it for awhile and shove our thoughts to the back of the  head, or deep inside. This goes for everyone families, funeral directors, cemetery workers, politicians, and folks from all walks of life. Except when something like Burr Oak happens the wounds are ripped wide open.

On Friday it was reported that the Alsip police looked the other way. The politicians local and national looked the other way. I do not know the local politicos who turned their heads from Burr Oak Cemetery. Most probably did not know. But I am aware that Democratic and Republican leaders in Washington of the past and present  have strong ties to the the Funeral and Cemetery interests. We will explore this further. I have no problem giving names because others have mentioned them before.

About a year ago I wrote a Funeral Book and said that the way to not being ripped off by the industry is to “make em follow the rules.” Problem is most people, even the authorities and those in the industry,  do not have a firm grip on the rules(law). Cemetery workers have no professional training. Ethics classes in Mortuary Schools for Funeral directors  are lame.

I am not holding out for cemetery and funeral reform. Where were the funeral directors in the Burr Oak Scandal?Some had to notice graves were gone when they rolled in driving  their black  hearses? -They collected the big money, looked the other way and went home.

So where are the owners of Burr Oak? Their negligence is quite incomprehensible. They have been conspicuously absent for a reason.  The owners of Perpetua, Inc and the investors that put money in Perpetua, Inc looked the other way as well.

Funeral and Cemetery Scandal needs to stop. Many need to speak up now. The moment is here.

Funeral Industry|by Your ANGRY Funeral guy

You can get some help here: Cook County Sheriff’s website:www.burroak.net

Burr oak cemetery pic from religion dispatches.org