MATHIS, Texas — A local woman is upset after discovering she could not bury her dead mother.
The reason: She was told someone else was already in her mother's burial plot at the cemetery.
Dominga Romero Paredez died about a month ago, and the family held her funeral two weeks later. She was then set to buried at the Rockport Cemetery.
Despite the family being told her burial was supposed to be the same day, Paredez's daughter, Louisa Juarez, discovered her mother had not been buried.
Juarez said she was told days later someone else had already been buried in her mother’s plot of land.
“It was a hard thing to go through, it still is a hard thing," Juarez said. "Can’t imagine it, wanting to lay her to rest, that was our top priority to give her the best thing that she deserved to have after all these years."
Rockport Cemetery said sometimes this does happen, but not too often.
They said they did test the plot of land, but sometimes their probe stick goes through old caskets. They added, some old graves don’t have headstones and their plaques don’t last either.
Juarez said Rockport Cemetery didn’t contact her about the situation, and it took the funeral home, Charlie Marshall Funeral Homes and Crematory, three days to contact her.
“I blame both because they should’ve called," she said. "Either or. They should’ve called us."
Rockport Cemetery representative said they didn’t have Juarez’s or any other family member’s contact information, and it was the funeral home who was supposed to contact Juarez.
She said the cemetery did offer her another plot of land, but it took four days before she could officially bury her mother.
She added her family did have insurance for funeral expenses and they’re talking to the Rockport Cemetery about whether they will get any financial compensation.
Juarez said her family is still confused as to why this happened and they’re frustrated with the funeral home and the cemetery.
And she hopes this doesn’t happen to anybody else.
“Keep somebody there to make sure they get buried. If they’re going to be buried, keep somebody there to look out,” she advised people who are burying their loved ones.
We also reached out to Charlie Marshall Funeral Homes and Crematory. They did not provide us details about Juarez’s mother’s burial, but said they are looking into the matter.
