Estate Planning

Burial Error Leaves Families Reeling

By Hull & Hull LLP

A cemetery in the UK is dealing with the awkward question of what to do about a man who was buried in the wrong grave. 

The 26 year old was vacationing in Spain when he was stabbed to death. After being returned home to Britain, he was inadvertently laid to rest in a grave reserved for the widow of another man (the widow and her late husband had bought side-by-side plots so they could be buried next to each other).

The two families have been unable to reach consensus as to what to do. The murder victim's family, who had to wait two years for the body to be returned to them due to the criminal investigation, wants the man to remain where he's been buried. On the other hand, the widow, who had bought the plot with her husband so they could be buried together, wants the body exhumed so that on her death she can be buried where she, well, paid to be buried. 

At this point, as the families can't agree it appears that the Church court for the Diocese of Lichfield in England will make the final decision in the new year. 

What a horrible situation – clearly neither family is at fault,  and, no matter the decision, someone is going to wind up devastated. 

On a more pleasant note, have a great weekend!

Megan F. Connolly

Megan F. Connolly - Click here for more information about Megan Connolly.

Full post as published by Toronto Estate Law Blog on December 04, 2009 (boomark / email).