DEAL WITH THE DEATH OF A
LOVED ONE.
NOW A TEN MONTH LARRY
BARKER INVESTIGATION
FINDS GRIEF
STRICKEN NEW MEXICO
FAMILIES HAVING TO FACE
AN UNBELIEVABLE
SHOCK WHEN THEY ARRIVE
AT THE CEMETERY. HERE )S
LARRY )S REPORT, GRAVE
SECRETS.
Phillips: "I just think
it )s a horrible
situation."
Matlack: "How could this
have gone on so long?"
Farmer: "We all are just
devastated over what )s
going on up here."
TUCKED AWAY IN THE
NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO
TOWN OF SPRINGER IS A
SAD PLACE WHERE FOLKS
COME TO PAY RESPECTS AND
FOR QUIET REFLECTION.
Barker: "But don )t be
deceived by this
peaceful scene. You see,
theres something
terribly wrong here at
the Springer Cemetery.
You won )t find any clues
among the irregular rows
of
tombstones. The secret
behind this graveyard
rests with the souls who
are interred here. Its a
shocking
tale of negligence,
governmental
incompetence and a
shameful disregard for
bereaved families."
Wiggins: "The greed of
people. It upsets me."
MARY WIGGINS KNOWS THE
PROBLEM FIRST HAND. WHEN
MARY )S
DAD PASSED AWAY HE WAS
TO BE INTERRED IN THE
SPRINGER FAMILY PLOT. IT
DIDN )T HAPPEN.
Wiggins: "The cemetery
person I guess that was
going to dig the hole
said that there were
people buried where we
thought were our plots.
... Q. The Springer
cemetery had buried
somebody else in
your family plot? A. Yes
... we were devastated
because we couldn )t do
what mother and daddy
had asked us to do which
was bury him in the
family plots."
THE FAMILY WAS FORCED TO
BURY THEIR DAD ELSEWHERE
IN THE
CEMETERY.
Barker: "And after Della
Rich passed away,
cemetery workers
discovered the unmarked
cremains of another
person in Della )s burial
plot. Whats going on
here? With some 1700
souls buried here, the
century-old graveyard is
virtually out of space.
However, rather than
turn away grieving
families City
Hall simply re-sells
burial plots."
PENNY JUMP IS A
VOLUNTEER MEMBER OF THE
SPRINGER CEMETERY BOARD.
Jump: "They go to dig a
hole to bury somebody )s
loved one and they find
that somebody is already
there.
... What do you say? I
mean it )s heart
wrenching. It )s just
heart wrenching."
Matlack: "Q. Are you
aware of cases where the
town of Springer has
sold burial plots that
were already
occupied? A. Yes.
JOY MATLACK IS A
VOLUNTEER RESEARCHER
WORKING WITH THE
CEMETERY BOARD.
Matlack: "That )s one
thing we )re trying to
figure out is how to
find out who )s actually
buried in those
graves."
ITS A DAUNTING TASK. ALL
JOY HAS TO WORK WITH IS
A FRAGILE 1931 MAP
SOMEONE FOUND IN A
CLOSET AND AN OUTDATED
MAP FROM 1971.
Matlack: "What )s
actually in the cemetery
doesn )t match any of the
maps. ... You can see
from year to year to
year decade to decade
where a plot was sold
and then it was resold
and then it was
resold."
CONSIDER THE ROGER LOPEZ
GRAVESITE.
Matlack: "Q. This is the
Lopez burial plot when a
Lopez has passed away
they were going to bury
him
where? A. They were
going to bury him right
here next to his
parents. But when they
went to dig the grave
they found a coffin. ...
Q. So in fact this
burial plot was sold to
two different families?
A. Yes."
GAIL FARMER SERVES ON
THE CEMETERY BOARD.
Farmer: "Reverend Loudon
bought two or three lots
here. And the piece of
property was ... resold
to the Padillas. So we
had to reimburse the
Loudon )s this piece of
property so that their
family could be
together. ... Q. They
double sold that lot?
A.Yes."
Matlack: "Q. This burial
plot right here was sold
to different families.
A. Yes sir. Q. And when
Mr. Kear
passed away they
couldn )t bury him here
because Mr. Martinez was
buried here? A. Yes
sir."
THE COPPICK FAMILY WAS
SURPRISED TO FIND
STRANGERS BURIED IN THE
PLOTS THEY BOUGHT 40
YEARS AGO.
Matlack: "They had no
knowledge of these being
sold to anybody else and
it )s plots that they
have deeds for that they
obviously can )t use
now."
AND THEN, THERES PANCHO
MESTES.
Matlack: "Mr. Mestes was
supposed to be buried in
potter )s field. I have
no idea why he wasn )t
buried in
potter )s field but he
was buried in the middle
of Mrs. Walters plots.
... When the Walters
came up to pay
their respects to Mr.
Walters they found Mr.
Mestas in their plots."
Walters: "I don )t know
anyone who wouldn )t be
upset about it." KEITH
WALTERS FIRST NOTICED A
STRANGER HAD APPARENTLY
BEEN
BURIED IN THE FAMILY
PLOT SOME YEARS AFTER
HIS DAD DIED.
Walters: "It )s a
desecration to have
someone take your grave
that you paid for and
put someone else in it."
Matlack: "Q. Mr. Mestes
was laid to rest in the
Walter )s burial plot?
Yes sir. Right in the
middle right? Yes sir.
Any idea how this
happened? A. Not a
clue."
Barker: "Even though the
Mestes grave didn )t show
up on any of the
cemetery maps, Springer
officials
showed little interest
in resolving the issue.
In fact, it was only
after the Walters family
hired an attorney that
City Hall investigated.
Today, nobody is exactly
sure where Mr. Mestes
was laid to rest."
KEITH WALTERS ISN )T THE
ONLY VICTIM TO COMPLAIN.
CITY HALL ALSO IGNORED
MARY
WIGGINS AND HER FAMILY.
Wiggins: "Q. Did the
town ever at least
acknowledge the mistake
and apologize? A. They
acknowledged that
they had sold it but as
far as an apology, no."
Phillips: "I think it )s
terrible to citizens
that are in mourning
that have to deal with
that. ... To me it )s
just
very disrespectful."
ANNA PHILLIPS SERVES ON
THE SPRINGER TOWN
COUNCIL.
Phillips: "When you )re
lost your loved one it )s
a difficult situation to
deal with anyway. But
then when you go and
don )t have a place to
put them I just can )t
imagine. ... Q. What
needs to happen at the
cemetery?
A. They need to stop
selling any plots
whatsoever until land is
purchased ... and they
have a new cemetery."
SPRINGER MAYOR FERNANDO
GARCIA DID NOT RETURN
REPEATED PHONE
CALLS FOR COMMENT. WE
CAUGHT UP WITH HIZZONER
AT THE TIRE AND LUBE
CENTER WHERE HE WORKS.
Mayor Garcia: "Q. This
is a terrible situation
would you agree? A. Yes
I do. I totally agree
that that has
happened."
ALTHOUGH THE MAYOR
APOLOGIZES HE BLAMES
PRIOR ADMINISTRATIONS
FOR THE CEMETERY MESS.
Mayor Garcia: "You )re
talking 20 years right
there you know of an
administration that
didn )t
keep accurate records.
... It comes down to bad
record keeping under
different people, under
different
clerks whatever. It is
just bad record
keeping."
SPRINGER )S TOWN COUNCIL
IS NEGOTIATING TO
PURCHASE
ADJACENT LAND FOR A NEW
CEMETERY. AND WHILE THE
POLITICANS POINT
FINGERS TO ASSESS BLAME,
IT )S THESE VOLUNTEERS
WHO MUST CONSOLE THE
GRIEVING VICTIMS AT A
COUNTRY GRAVEYARD THAT
IS NOT AS PEACEFUL AS IT
SEEMS.
Jump: "Q. When you think
of what )s going on here
at the cemetery what
goes through your mind?
A. I just
want to cry."
Matlack: "Somebody has
to stand up for those
people and the families
that are in the ground."
Farmer: "It )s it )s a
very sad situation. ...
They )re our ancestors
and they deserve the
respect that we can give
them."
LARRY BARKER KRQE NEWS
13.
WE HAVE THE PLOTS
DOCUMENTED AT SPRINGER
CEMETERY IN 1931
AND 1971.
YOU CAN FIND THEM ON OUR
KRQE APP.
ADLIB TOSS TO WEATHER