Riverside Cemetery Albion – Families Deal with Beloved Family Members Buried in Wrong Graves

Written by John Face
August 10, 2023

Ray Layne said it best when a City of Albion worker asked, do you want to be here when we dig her up? The employee spoke of his wife, Ketrina, who was buried in the wrong grave at Riverside Cemetary in Albion, MI. He told me his reply was simple, “I didn’t want to be there the first time; I don’t want to be there a second.”

Layne was upset when I spoke with him, justifiably, as he recounted her being placed in the wrong grave by the Albion Sexton, who is responsible for burying people at the cemetery. Layne had purchased three graves for his wife, child, and himself in the graveyard. He said it was around a month and a half after her funeral that a city employee contacted him and said the above.

Layne was not the first, and it was because of other mis-burials that the city started an investigation to see how many other people were not where they belonged.

During our investigation, I confirmed that two people were mis-buried. One was Ketrina Layne; the second was far less traumatic than what Ray Layne went through but no less problematic. This second individual, whom I am still trying to find family, was placed in the wrong grave. The city resolved it by changing the Deed because where the individual was mis-buried was unowned. The location was only one spot away from the proper burial spot. I can’t confirm if the family knows this, so I am not naming the individual even though I know who it is.

I know that the Deed for this second person has been changed with a handwritten change to the Deed. They were buried one spot off from where they should have been. City Watch has since learned during our investigation that potentially six or more bodies were incorrectly buried at Riverside.

City Watch received a response to our Freedom of Information Act request today showing the above examples. These mis-burials allegedly began under the new Sexton’s tenure, which started in early April 2021. We have been told that he has been reassigned inside the city and a temporary Sexton appointed. This temporary Sexton, who apparently is well versed in the cemetery operations, and others have been charged with verifying that all burials are correct.

The main concern with all these mis-burials is that if they go undetected, a grave that is supposed to be empty years later may be sold. Imagine that Sexton digging into a grave and finding someone’s beloved family member. Imagine you visiting your beloved when in fact, they are in a different part of the cemetery.

I spoke with one individual who wondered aloud why families didn’t know of the mis-burial when the funeral happened. I spoke with Sextons in the area, who reminded me that the grave area is always covered during the funeral, including the stone. “Considering most families are in deep mourning, they assume that the grave is correct.”, said one Sexton. He said, “As a Sexton, we have a sacred duty to ensure we care for your family and get it right the first time.”

City Watch is still working on this story. If you have a loved one buried at the cemetery between December 5, 2020, and now, feel free to contact City Watch if you find that a loved one has been mis-buried.

Our Email is citywatchnews1@gmail.com