Stranger Was Buried In Plot McCandless Mother Bought For Herself Next To Loved Ones

MCCANDLESS, Pa. (KDKA) - A McCandless mother says she visited her first husband and daughter's gravesite only to find someone had been buried in the adjacent plot she had bought for herself. She said she called Mount Royal Cemetery for weeks, unable to reach a solution

Judy DeSantis knows the pain of burying a child.

Last month, on the fifth anniversary of her daughter Melissa's killing, DeSantis discovered a new headstone in the grass.

"I was shocked. And I was sick in my stomach. And I couldn't sleep," DeSantis said.

A stranger was buried right next to Melissa in the plot DeSantis bought years ago.

"We didn't even have the money to buy it, we had to borrow it and we bought that grave," she said.

It was all to be next to Melissa, her first husband and her parents.

A deed shows proof of her ownership, but the new gravemarker says otherwise.

"And they said the person who sold me my grave didn't mark off on the books that the grave was sold," said DeSantis.

"They offered to move my entire family and give me a grave in another part of the cemetery, and I said absolutely not."

KDKA tracked down the widow of the man laid to rest next to Melissa. She didn't want to do an interview but said she buried her husband last summer. She also believed she owned the deed to the plot.

"I feel really sad for them. I feel like they're going to feel the same way I am. Nobody wants to have to move someone once they're buried," said DeSanitis.

The owner of Mt. Royal Cemetery is based in eastern Pennsylvania. Stonemor Inc. owns 304 cemeteries and 70 funeral homes across 24 states.

Stonemor released this statement saying: "We are working to resolve the situation and out of respect for the families involved, decline further comment."

Turns out, the family of this man knew nothing about the mixup until KDKA called.

DeSantis now prays for a resolution.

"It doesn't sit well with me either. It just is not right that this had to happen to both families," she said.

Just before airtime, that man's widow called and said she's graciously decided to move her husband. She wanted to bring about a resolution.

She said now knowing the circumstances, and after thinking about it, she doesn't want the DeSantis family to go through any more pain.

If a similar situation has happened to you, the attorney general wants to hear about it. You're asked to file a complaint on the AG's website.