Idaho family plans to sue after loved one was buried in wrong grave

Keith Burrell, KIVI

CALDWELL, Idaho (KIVI) — The family of a Caldwell female who planned nan specifications of her ain ceremonial discovered she was buried successful nan incorrect spot erstwhile they arrived for nan funeral. The metropolis says it didn’t person capable interaction accusation and had to prime a different spot because of a character guidelines moving done nan plot.

“My hubby and I travel retired here, we locomotion to wherever she had purchased a grave, there’s nary disturbed… there’s nary grave. We look astir and spot a heap of ungraded complete by nan road, and we go, ‘Is that Mom?’ We knew thing was wrong,” Kathy Blume says.

Her mother, Elaine Reese, passed distant from terminal crab successful July 2023.

She didn’t want her family to beryllium near pinch ceremonial logistics successful their grief, truthful Elaine chose her ain funeral crippled astatine Canyon Hill Cemetery and made her ain ceremonial arrangements.

But erstwhile they arrived for nan ceremonial service, nan family learned Elaine was not buried successful nan correct place

Then a fewer weeks later…

“In nan mail, I get a 2nd deed for a 2nd plot. I already had nan deed, truthful I called nan cemetery. They said, ‘Oh, I’m truthful gladsome you called. We didn’t cognize really to scope you. Turned retired nan crippled we sold your mom was not a usable plot,'” Kathy continues.

Elaine had 2 wishes for her last resting place: to beryllium nether a character and distant from a road.

But proximity to nan character she chose, near nan crippled unusable pinch a heavy character guidelines making a funeral impossible.

“And I asked ‘Well, wherever is my mom?’ ‘Well, she’s complete successful that ungraded by nan road, yeah,'” she tells.

Next to a road.

Something Kathy knew her mom did not want.

The family says nan full ordeal was overwhelming, stressful and affectional and revenge a tort declare pinch nan metropolis of Caldwell successful December.

The family lawyer says their tort declare was rejected, but nan metropolis says it resolved that declare by paying for Kathy’s mother to beryllium exhumed and reburied successful a much suitable location.

“What was nan exhumation process for illustration for you and your siblings and your hubby and your grandkids?” I asked.

“Some of them thought it was funny. But I told them, hold a minute, it sounds for illustration joke, you can’t constitute this, but it’s really not a joke.”

We reached retired to nan city, and they told maine they didn’t interaction Elaine’s family earlier nan original funeral because they didn’t person capable interaction information.

“I called nan ceremonial head back, and erstwhile I told him that they didn’t person immoderate measurement of reaching me, he said, ‘I was opinionated correct location pinch your files pinch your accusation successful it,'” Kathy recalls.

Despite nan metropolis covering costs for Elaine’s exhumation and reburial successful a caller crippled much successful statement pinch Elaine’s wishes, nan family says they still intend to sue.

“When I was present and they were moving her I felt for illustration I had really fto her down by not being present nan time they physically buried her,” Kathy admits.

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