Latest news with #grave
CBC
22-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Daughter finds WWII veteran's grave empty
A British woman wanted to relocate her estranged father's grave from a cemetery near Winnipeg to a military site in Ontario, but was shocked to learn the grave her father was supposed to be in was empty.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Son's plea for 'common sense' after soil dumped on man's grave
Flowers and cards "tossed aside" and a pile of earth placed on top of their dad's grave are what awaited the family of Christopher Cooper when they went to Cooper, son of Christopher, made the trip to Saffron Hill Cemetery on Father's Day, 15 June, only to discover the mess caused when a new grave had been dug next to his has decided to speak out in the hope of what he believes should be improved work practices at the cemetery in family made a complaint to Leicester City Council and the authority apologised "for any distress caused". Christopher died at the age of 68 in 2023 and Freddie went to visit his grave in early June, on what would have been Christopher's did not expect to return a week later to find the grave had been covered in a pile of said he believes the soil was left there for four to five days, but cannot be 37-year-old said: "It was a really big mound of mud, placed close to the place where he's buried and when we got closer we realised it was actually on top of his grave. "Cemetery staff had moved all the flowers and cards and just tossed them to the side and piled a load of mud on my dad's grave - obviously digging the grave next to it. "They just left us with a big mess." Freddie believes there was enough space on the wider grassed area to put the freshly dug earth. He added: "It only takes a minute of extra thinking to say, put it behind us, it's Father's Day."In a statement, Leicester City Council said: "It is common practice in all cemeteries that when digging a grave for a burial there will be occasions when the soil needs to be temporarily placed on an adjacent grave."This would be for a very short time only, and the soil would be placed on boards to ensure no damage was caused. "The soil is always removed as soon as possible after the adjacent burial has taken place"."We do, however, apologise, for any distress caused in this instance and we have contacted the family to apologise. We can offer the assurance that the soil has been removed without any damage to the grave." Freddie, from Claybrooke Magna in Leicestershire, said he would accept an apology from the council or cemetery if he had been given said: "I'd like to see a bit of common sense used and a bit of respect shown for people's graves in the future."From what they say it is standard procedure but I don't think it's morally right to be decimating graves when they had plenty of space to put the mud elsewhere."
The Standard
12-07-2025
- The Standard
Cambodian sites of Khmer Rouge brutality added to UNESCO heritage list
FILE - Tourists take their tour at the grave side in the former Pol Pot 's notorious S-21 prison, known Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, July 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)
BBC News
30-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hull cemetery vandalism 'devastating', family says
A grave dedicated to three generations of a family has been "destroyed" by vandals, a man Ralph, 61, said the remains of his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were interred at Hedon Road Cemetery, in he said the headstone – which was crafted by his late father, a stonemason – had been "booted" over and ornaments City Council said "damaged graves or memorials" were made safe and the "fully enclosed" cemetery had its gates locked at night. Mr Ralph said: "I came last Sunday to pay my respects to them and then I saw this had happened. My two sisters are too distraught to come and see it." Mr Ralph lost his mum and dad eight years ago. He described them as "just lovely people". "My dad was a stonemason all of his life. He made this headstone for his parents – he would be mortified to see what's happened." The family had decorated the grave to make it as homely as possible. But the ornaments had been "damaged, pinched and scattered around the cemetery". In a message to the vandals he said: "What do they get out of it? It's so upsetting and wrong. It's bad enough losing your parents and then you come to pay your respects and then this happens." "Why people would do this, I just don't know." Mr Ralph said the family would not let the incident "get the better of us". He has called on the council to examine security measures to prevent further incidents."It just seems to be neglected year after year, it feels as if all they do is cut the grass and that's it. They need to be aware of what's going on," he added. The council said the cemetery was "maintained periodically by our grounds maintenance team". However, there was no permanent on-site security presence "due to the prohibitive cost"."Because of the cemetery's size, extensive tree coverage, and the need to respect visitors' privacy, there are currently no plans to install CCTV," a spokesperson said."We strongly encourage anyone who witnesses or discovers damage to report it directly to the police, so that the appropriate action can be taken."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Fox News
10-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Mysterious 'dumped' bodies of woman and child found by archaeologists in picturesque town
Archaeologists recently uncovered a mysterious grave in an idyllic German town, with clues that hint at a tragic story. The findings were announced by the German town of Vaihingen an der Enz in a recent press release. The town is located in Baden-Württemberg, a German state known for its scenic landscapes and natural beauty. In the announcement, local officials said a months-long excavation yielded hundreds of archaeological discoveries. The excavation began in Sept. 2024 and wrapped up in April, ahead of the construction of a future industrial park called Wolfsberg IV. The most haunting discovery was the grave of a woman and young girl dating back to 400 B.C. Both of the decedents, officials said, wore jewelry from the Celtic period of German history, which was roughly between 600 and 200 B.C. "The girl had two bronze arm rings, the woman a necklace with blue glass beads threaded on iron wire," said the statement, which was translated from German to English. "These beads could have been easily made many millennia earlier – provided one had the necessary knowledge." The arrangement of the skeletons suggests the bodies were "dumped," a historian said. The child was found "[lying] over the woman's leg, limbs outstretched," the release indicated. "What exactly might have happened to them, even experts can only speculate," the town said. "Perhaps they suffocated due to fermentation gases that developed during the decomposition of the [organic materials] in the pit." Felicitas Schmitt, a historian from the State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council, said the grave indicated far from a respectful burial. "Here, we are not talking about a burial," she noted. "The two were dumped, rather than laid to rest with dignity." She observed, "Perhaps they suffocated due to fermentation gases that developed during the decomposition of the [organic materials] in the pit." The grave was just one of 1,100 discoveries found during the excavation, according to town officials. Some of the findings were as old as 7,000 years. Eight other graves were found, in addition to a cooking pit, some remains of longhouses and various ceramics. Tools and jewelry were also unearthed. "In addition to the nine graves, several longhouses up to 20 meters long from the Middle Neolithic period were uncovered," the town's statement said. "Particularly interesting for researchers is the cooking pit made of clay and stones, presumably from the early Iron Age (800 to 450 BC)." Officials also said they uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved axe next to a skeleton, dating back around 5,000 years ago. "At first glance, it might seem like it came from the hardware store across the street," the release said. "But the axe head is not made of metal, but of elaborately polished stone!" In contrast to the grave with the two females, archaeologists do not believe the man died violently; rather, the axe was likely left as a grave offering. While they were interested in the findings, local officials weren't shocked by them overall. The general area is known for Neolithic finds, so excavators expected to dig up some history. "[The findings] contribute to further deciphering the history of the city and preserving the cultural heritage of the region," the press release noted.
