Indiana family upset after graveyard burying person in the wrong grave

Brown County, Indiana – Two families are dealing with a headache and a tornado of emotion as a result of a burial at the incorrect location in Brown County.

Margaret Stewart, a resident of Brown County, was laid to rest at the Unity Baptist Church Cemetery at the beginning of August. Just last Friday, a different family discovered what appeared to be a burial site on their family graveyard. They soon discovered that Stewart had unintentionally been buried here.

While visiting their father Harold Fannin’s grave, sisters Verbie Camden and Christy Ward received a call from a family member informing them of the confusion. The name of Fannin’s wife, who will eventually be buried next to him, is also written on the headstone.

“That’s clearly marked,” Christy described. “And those names aren’t even close. So, how does this happen?”

The two are devastated and perplexed. Because their 68-year-old mother, who is meant to be buried next to her husband, may soon succumb to lung cancer, they both expressed that this causes them the most distress.

“We really don’t know how much longer she has,” Verbie said. “So if we wouldn’t have found out about this now, come time, we would’ve hit her vault and then have to do all of this research later.”

When Christy and Verbie learned the news, they contacted Stewart’s relatives. Stewart Badger’s sister is Brenda Badger. When she initially learned about the problem, she admitted that she felt uneasy about it, but she also believes that it might have been a genuine error.

“It is very unfortunate,” Badger said. “I mean it’s kind of like a surgeon. What if a surgeon made a mistake and it altered the results of a surgery? They’d feel bad too, but stuff happens.”

Badger stated that she likewise wants the matter settled, mostly for the benefit of the other family. Verbie and Christy contacted the cemetery to inquire about what transpired. The couple was informed that the cemetery and funeral home were working to resolve the situation.

“We just want to get this resolved so it doesn’t happen to somebody else,” Verbie said.

“It needs to be for the other family involved, more so than us, but for everybody involved,” Badger added. “You just need to have the right body in the right spot.”

Since they initially learned of the problem last week, Verbie claimed that she has also been added to the cemetery board. She promised to ensure that the issue never arises again. The two sisters expressed their want to see someone held accountable for the error.

According to Christy and Verbie, the cemetery hopes to have everything sorted by the end of the week.