ALL 5 PEOPLE MADE IT OUT SAFELY ONE OF THE 2 DOGS DIED. THE CAUSE OF THAT FIRE REMAINS
UNKNOWN.
>> I’VE NEVER SEEN IT LIKE THIS FIRST TIME I’VE SEEN IS THIS IS A CATHOLIC CEMETERY, IHSAN BE
LIKE TO.
♪
>> OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS THE DEFENDERS HAVE BEEN INUNDATED WITH COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE
CONDITIONS AT CEMETERIES OWNED
BY THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN
ANTONIO, TALL WEEDS AND GRASS
HEAD STONES BURIED UNDER MUD
AND DIRT AND SOME
GRAVE SITES THAT IS SOMETHING
SEVERAL FEET NOT AT ALL WHAT
YOU EXPECT TO SEE WHEN VISITING
YOUR
LOVED ONES. SO WHAT’S GOING ON
WHILE I SPENT THE PAST SEVERAL
WEEKS VISITING THE CEMETERIES
AND TALKING TO FAMILY MEMBERS.
SOME WHO HAVE TAKEN IT UPON
THEMSELVES TO CLEAN UP THE
MESS. IT’S TONIGHT’S
♪
DEFENDERS INVESTIGATION.
>> ONE BUS ARIZ MOWING THE GRASS AT A CATHOLIC CEMETERY, SAN FERNANDO NUMBER 2, BUT
THAT’S NOT HIS JOB.
>> I DON’T WORK FOR SOME TIME.
YEAH, I JUST COME INTO MY FROM
MY GRANDPA MY MY COUSINS RIGHT
HERE I MAY BE COUSINS.
>> THE C ONE HAS A LOT OF
RESPECT FOR THE DEAD AND ONE
SAYS FAMILY’S ETERNAL RESTING
PLACE TO
BE PEACEFUL. BUT LATELY HE’S
BEEN SPENDING MORE TIME TAKING
CARE OF THESE GRAVE SITES OF
CONGO OFTEN THEY JUST COME BACK
WHEN I SEE THAT THE GRASS
IS REAL. WE’LL TALK WHEN I
TALKED TO ONE IN EARLY JUNE.
WE WERE JUST STARTING TO DRY
OUT FROM ALL THE RAIN WE HAD IN
MAY.
♪
WE SAW CREWS DOING SOME OWING THAT DAY. MANY AREAS OF THE CEMETERY WHERE OVERGROWN.
BUT THE SARAH WASN’T THAT
UPSET.
>> THAT THAT THEY CANNOT CATCH
UP BECAUSE OF THE RAIN
UNDERSTAND THAT YES WAG COMMON
TRY TO HELP
♪
THEM OUT.
>> IS
NOT ALONE. OVER THE COURSE OF 6
WEEKS OF VISITS TO THE
CEMETERY, WE ENCOUNTERED
SEVERAL PEOPLE DOING THEIR OWN
LAWN CARE AND A LOVED ONE’S
GRAVE SITES.
>> WE JUST HAVE TO TAKE IT UPON
OURSELVES TO CLEAN UP. PEARL.
MOM AND DAD, YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE
IT
SO WE.
IT SO WE. >> BRINGING HIS LAWN TOOLS
AFTER SEEN THE CONDITIONS ON
MOTHER’S DAY. BUT HE ISN’T JUST
TAKING CARE OF HIS OWN FAMILY
EVEN STARTED DOING SOME OF THE
OTHER PEOPLE, BUT I THINK
I DON’T.
>> YOU COULD BE HERE ALL YEAH
THERE’S A LOT OF INVOLVED JUST
MOVING LIKE THAT.
>> AND MY DAD AND MY BROTHER.
>> IT ALREADY HAS HAS ALSO
STARTED TAKING CARE OF THE
GRAVES AROUND HIS FAMILY.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS
SHOULD BE THE JOB OF THE
CEMETERY, YEAH, IT SHOULD WELL
GET A CONTRACT TO SOMEBODY, YOU
KNOW COME
INTO IT.
>> OTHER PEOPLE WE TALKED TO
HAD TROUBLE EVEN FINDING THEIR
LOVED ONES GRAVES.
IF THEY’RE NOT HIDDEN BY TALL
GRASS AND WEEDS.
THEY’RE COVERED IN DIRT
AND DEBRIS.
>> THE LAST TIME I SAW HER LIFE
AS A BETTER YOU’RE GOING TO GO
♪
IS SHE WAS LIKE THIS WAS LIKE.
>> ONE OF THE SULZBACHER
PER SIR IT WAS ALL COVERED
WITH LOVE.
>> WHAT YOU CAN USE TO ON THIS
VISIT POLLS SHOW NEEDED HELP
FINDING THE STONES THAT WERE
HIDDEN
BY WEEDS.
>> IN SEVERAL AREAS OF SAN
>> IN SEVERAL AREAS OF SAN ♪ >> FERNANDO NUMBER 2 WE FOUND
EVIDENCE OF FLOODING.
DEEP TIRE TRACKS FROM HEAVY MACHINERY THAT WENT RIGHT OVER GRAVESTONES IT’S ESPECIALLY
>> YOU KNOW THERE’S ALL THESE
PEOPLE ARE PAYING MONEY TO HAVE
THESE GROSS LOANS PUTTING HER
ON OK, LET’S JUST GO THROUGH
TIME.
♪
THEY DESERVE BETTER NEWS SOME AREAS OF THE CEMETERIES ARE SO OVERGROWN IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS
BEEN ABANDONED FOR YEARS BUT
OTHER PROBLEMS WE FOUND SEEMED
TO GO WELL BEYOND THEM NOT
KEEPING UP WITH BASIC
MAINTENANCE OVER AT SAN
FERNANDO NUMBER 3 WE FOUND
FALLEN TREE LIMBS RESTING ON
HEADSTONES WATER TAPS THE
DON’T WORK.
>> AND SINKHOLES OPENING UP
NEAR HEADSTONES BUT THAT’S NOT
ALL WE ALSO FOUND SEVERAL GRAVE
SITES THROUGHOUT THE CEMETERY
IS JUST LIKE THIS ONE WHERE THE
GROUND HAS SUNK IN SEVERAL FEET
SOME FAMILIES TAKING THEIR OWN
STEPS TO FIX IT.
♪
THOSE TERRIBLE. THAT
WE GO OUT THERE OUT OF MARTINEZ
WAS WATERING THE NEW GRASS HE
PLANTED ON HIS WIFE’S GRAVE,
SHE’D ONLY BEEN BURIED A FEW
WEEKS BUT HE DIDN’T WANT TO SEE
HERS SINK LIKE THE OTHERS IN
HER SECTION.
>> COME TAKE THEM TO BE FAIR WE
DID NOTICE ANOTHER VISITS THAT
SOME OF THE SUNKEN GRAVES HAD
BEEN FILLED IN
AND OVER AT NUMBER 2 DANIELS OR
AGO SAYS SAYS HE COMPLAINED
ABOUT THE SINKING GRAY’S RIGHT
NEXT TO HIS MIND.
>> BECAUSE I MEAN IT WAS A DEEP
HOLE LIKE AT LEAST WELL THEY
FEET DOWN. I MEAN SOME AN EXIT
COULD HAVE BEEN OR SOMETHING
BUT I
THEY PULLED IT UP ACTUALLY THE
ARCHDIOCESE DIDN’T ANSWER
SEVERAL DIRECT QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE CONDITIONS AT BOTH
CEMETERIES.
>> THAT DID PLEDGE TO DO
BETTER.
>> I HOPE SO I DON’T KNOW
REALLY WHAT THE ANSWER IS GOING
TO REALLY KNOW IF I WHAT
THEY’RE TELLING US IS.
♪
♪
♪ ♪ IS CORRECT PUT THE TRUTH YOU
KNOW, THEY’RE JUST SAY
WHATEVER.
>> NOW IN A STATEMENT THE
ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN ANTONIO SAID
CEMETERY PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN
WORKING DILIGENTLY AND
CONDUCTING BURIALS AS WELL AS
CARE OF THE CEMETERY SITES
WHICH HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY
RECENT HEAVY
SUSTAINED RAINS. ISSUES ARE
BEING ADDRESSED IN A PLANNED
MANNER AS WEATHER
CONDITIONS CONTINUE IMPROVING
TO READ MORE OF THEIR STATEMENT
LOOK FOR THIS STORY ON KSAT DOT
COM, MISSING AND THOSE
STATEMENTS ANY SORT OF APOLOGY