Burr Oak: Greed and Desecration in the Black Chicago Cemetery Where Michelle Obama’s Dad is Buried
According
to reports from Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, four workers are
being charged with exhuming and dismembering some 300 bodies as part of
a large operation to re-sell the open plots. The corpses were discarded
in a “dump area” and in some cases were re-buried atop existing burial
sites. Five to seven-thousand families whose loved ones are buried at
the cemetery are still reeling from shocked and struggling to get
answers.
On
July 10, the Cook County Sheriff’s Department closed Burr Oak,
declaring it an official crime scene. Inquiring families were directed
to an email and telephone hotline to determine if their relatives are
among those whose peaceful interments have been marred by these
atrocious acts of greed.
Former Burr Oak manager. Carolyn
Towns, the and mastermind of the entire scheme is facing felony charges
along with groundskeepers Keith Nicks, Terrence Nicks and Maurice
Dailey for dismembering human bodies. Each faces up to 30 years in
prison.
Thus far, everyone from the Cook County courts to
the FBI have had a hand in trying to make sense out of this crime.
Towns, who often found herself in financial trouble used the process
for her own personal gain, but has without a doubt scarred the lives of
innocent people throughout the country.
According to Roman
Szabelski, the man now in charge of overseeing and managing the
operation of Burr Oak, the cemetery will re-open on August 1. “If
someone comes in and says, ‘Where’s my mom and where’s my dad?’ we’ll
help them find the graves,” Szabelski promised in speaking with the
Chicago Tribune.
Until then, the phone calls and emails
will continue to pour in by the thousands. Even with the cemetery
closed for investigation, hordes of family members are still showing up
from all over the country. First Lady Michelle Obama’s father is buried
at Burr Oak and it was the original burial site of Emmitt Till. These
grave robbers have proven that when driven by avarice, nothing is
sacred. –gavin philip godfrey
Need Help Finding a Relative?
Cook County Sheriff Email Hotline: [email protected]
Cook County Sheriff Burr Oak Phone Hotline: 800-942-1950 (Out of State) or (708) 865-6070
For more information visit: www.cookcountysheriff.org
