Rest in Peace: The Tragedy of Burr Oak Cemetery

Forensic scientists have begun sorting the remains of hundreds of cadavers that were taken from their graves at Burr Oak Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Alsip, Illinois. Four workers have been arrested for the alleged grave selling plot. Officials now estimate that close to 300 graves at the traditionally-black cemetery were tampered with. Family members of people buried there are trying to learn whether their loved ones’ resting places were desecrated. Terry Dean of Oak Park, Illinois, has several family members buried at Burr Oak. He joins The Takeaway with his story. Also joining the conversation is Gary Laderman, author of Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth-Century America and Sacred Matters: Celebrity Worship, Sexual Ecstasies, The Living Dead and Other Signs of Religious Life in the United States.