x
Breaking News
More () »

Mistake leads to hundreds of items removed from gravestones in City of Belding

While items that were left on graves of family members at River Ridge Cemetery were removed, they are now available to be picked up at the cemetery.

BELDING, Mich. — Ashleigh Brown, who lives in Belding, spent her weekend looking at dozens of items that she said were thrown away by the city last week at River Ridge Cemetery.

Her grandparents are buried on the grounds.

"They took them off and threw them in a dumpster," said Brown.

Among some of the many items that were removed from River Ridge gravestones include crosses, hundreds of flowers, stone mementos and a large Virgin Mary statue.

Brown had solar lights, little dragonflies and planters on her grandparents' graves that were also removed.

"There are things that are made with people's names that say 'sister' or 'daughter,' like handmade objects, and they just tossed them," said Brown.

Brown said the city told her they were doing fall cleaning at the cemetery to clean things up. That's when they found their missing grave items.

Everything left on graves are now gathered around a garage on the cemetery grounds and are available for pick up.

Belding's City Manager, Jon Stopples, said that no items ever left the cemetery, and they wanted to make them available after hearing concerns from neighbors.

A statement on behalf of the Belding City Council and City Staff sent to 13 ON YOUR SIDE reads:

"During the annual fall clean-up at the River Ridge Cemetery, workers mistakenly removed sentimental items from grave sites, which families wished to keep in place. After it was discovered that items were removed from the gravesites in error, city administration had all refuse bins used during the process taken to a secure location and searched. We believe all items that were removed by the employees were recovered.

The Recovered items have been placed in a tent at the cemetery. Family and friends may secure the memorials and replace them on the grave sites, or take the items with them to replace at a later date. If family members are unable to visit the cemetery to secure their items, they may call City Hall and we will assist as necessary.

In response to this situation, we have set up internal guidelines to make sure all communication to our employees regarding work within our cemeteries is conducted in a more effective manner.

Additionally, city council has formed a citizens advisory committee to make sure current and future expectations regarding the care of our cemeteries meets the needs of the families we serve.

The City of Belding employees and elected officials send our heartfelt apologies to all those affected and will continue to make sure all items are returned to the proper families."

While Brown and others can now pick up their mementos left for their loved ones, she said she's still heartbroken that this happened in the first place.

"It's hard enough coming out to a cemetery to pay your respects and then to get out here and nothing be left," said Brown. "It's crazy."

Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.

Before You Leave, Check This Out