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Dallas / Fort Worth Local News

Owner Of Desecrated Cemetery From North Texas

Reporting
Marianne Martinez

GRAND PRAIRIE (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: A flag marks a grave at Burr Oak Cemetery near a blue dumpster behind which a pile of human remains were found July 8, 2009 in Alsip.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

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More Than 100 Bodies Dug Up At Historic Cemetery
(7/8/2009)
Bones Found Near 'Babyland' Area Of Ill. Cemetery
(7/12/2009)
Ill. Cemetery Workers Accused In Grisly Plot
(7/10/2009)
Cemetery Staff Made $300K In Gravedigging Scheme
(7/10/2009)
'Disastrous' Records Hampering Ill. Cemetery Probe
(7/13/2009)
North Texas Man Connected To Desecrated Cemetery
(7/9/2009)

It's one of the largest crime scenes in Chicago-area history. Authorities are inspecting all 100,000 gravesites at the historic Burr Oak Cemetery.

Now, we're learning there's a North Texas connection. The president of the company that oversees the cemetery lives in Grand Prairie. CBS 11 News spoke with him outside his home.

"The criminal conduct was absolutely despicable," said Melvin Bryant, President and Consultant for Perpetua. "I extend my heart-felt sympathies to all those who have loved ones buried at Burr Oak Cemetery."

Last week, four people were arrested after four police uncovered their gruesome scheme. Workers dug up about 300 bodies and dumped the remains in a wooded area. They made hundreds of thousands of dollars by re-selling the plots.

Bryant said he also has family buried at Burr Oak. He declined to answer questions about how this happened under his management. He did say he fired the cemetery's director of operations for financial wrongdoing, but wouldn't comment specifically about the criminal investigation.

"Neither I, nor our investors or owners have benefitted from the criminal conduct," Bryant said.

In the meantime, investigators are working to identify the remains of the bodies that were dumped, a process that could take several weeks. The Cook County Sheriff's Department has received more than 50,000 inquiries from family members whose loved ones are buried at Burr Oak.

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