Families protest Bridgeport cemetery amid missing bodies allegations

<p>Families who have loved ones buried at a Bridgeport cemetery are holding a protest today amid shocking allegations of bodies missing from their graves.</p>

News 12 Staff

Oct 4, 2018, 4:16 PM

Updated 2,274 days ago

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Families who have loved ones buried at a Bridgeport cemetery held a protest Thursday amid shocking allegations of bodies missing from their graves.
"You can't find the body," says Andrea Orroyo. "That's like mental trauma. You have so many people going through mental trauma right now."
The families say they were shocked after allegations were made in a lawsuit that the Park Cemetery was double-stacking bodies in graves and disposing of old bones and caskets to make room for new burials.
"I mean, here you think you're burying your loved one for life, for them to rest," says Doreen Buchard. "And really we don't know if that's true."
They also complained about broken headstones, vehicles driving over graves, and bodies missing from burial plots.
Police say it all started when one family member filed a lawsuit alleging gross mismanagement, giving rise to complaints about tire tracks on burial plots, sunken graves and human bones found around the cemetery.
Police say the cemetery violated many state regulations, and a new official will likely be appointed to run the facility's day-to-day operations.
State Rep. Chris Rosario says he has called for several state agencies to investigate Park Cemetery.
"This is the lowest, the cheapest place for us to bury our people here in Bridgeport," says Ana Depaz. "And this is where all the minorities and all the lower class people bury their family. Why are they treating us like this?"
Park Cemetery did not respond to News 12's request for a comment.