Sat, Jul 11th, 2009
The first report, that 50 or so graves had been disturbed at the historic Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Ill. — the final resting place of civil rights icon Emmett Till, and the singer Dinah Washington — was grotesque. But by week's end, the macabre tally had grown: Nearly 300 graves, possibly more, were destroyed in an apparent grave-resale scheme that took in an as yet unknown amount of money. Now, questions remain as to how this scandal happened and what must be done to prevent a recurrence.
Related stories from top sites:
No rest for Emmett Till even in death; boy's original casket tied to Chicago cemetery scandal
Jul 10th, 2009 - Newsday.com
CHICAGO (AP) - When his mother put the battered body of 14-year-old Emmett Till in the ground more than 50 years ago, it was supposed to be the end of a sad saga for the boy whose lynching became a rallying point for the civil rights movement.
FBI combing Alsip cemetery in grave-selling scandal - Chicago Sun
Jul 10th, 2009 - Chicago Sun-Times
The FBI arrived at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip today to start the daunting task of combing through 100,000 gravesites spread over more than 100 acres in a search for any for above-ground human remains.
Authorities: 4 former workers at historic Ill. cemetery made $300K in gravedigging scheme
Jul 10th, 2009 - StarTribune.com
ALSIP, Ill. - Four former employees accused of digging up bodies and reselling plots at a historic black cemetery near Chicago made about $300,000 in a scheme believed to have stretched back at least four years...
Investigation continues of unearthed bodies and resold plots at Ill. cemetery
Jul 10th, 2009 - Los Angeles Times
ALSIP, Ill. (AP) - Authorities say more than a dozen more cases of disturbed graves have turned up at a historic black cemetery in Illinois where four people are accused of unearthing hundreds of corpses in a scheme to resell burial plots.
Mary Mitchell exclusive: Till's casket left to waste - Chicago Sun
Jul 10th, 2009 - Chicago Sun-Times
Broken. Rusted. Battered. The image of a glass-covered casket with the body of Emmett Till was shown around the world in the 1950s. But on Thursday, as hundreds of African Americans searched frantically for the graves of love ones...

Leave a Reply