Southeast : CEMETERY CLOSED
Citing a lack of funding, state cemetery officials Wednesday closed a Santa Fe Springs cemetery where bodies allegedly were disinterred so graves could be resold.
The gates to Paradise Memorial Park were locked at 6 p.m. and the cemetery was to remain closed to the public until further notice, Steve Doukas, chairman of the California Cemetery Board, said in a news release.
State cemetery officials seized and briefly closed Paradise Memorial Park last month after uncovering evidence of illegal disinterments and resale of graves. Operators also allegedly buried more than one person in a grave without the permission of relatives, which is illegal. A criminal investigation continues, but no charges have been filed.
The park was quickly reopened after the state took it over, allowing surviving relatives to visit and check grave sites and burial records.
State cemetery officials are seeking funds to reopen the park.
The closure means that the site will not be maintained and that families will not be allowed to visit the graves of their relatives.
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