Family raises concerns after trash seen at cemetery
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — A family is wanting answers after a local cemetery was found trashed.
WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Reporter Diamond Williams went to Bascom Cemetery after a family reached out with concerns of how the cemetery has been maintained.
Photos provided by Mona Whiteside, a Jackson native, show trash surrounding her parents’ grave site.
“It’s the upkeep of the cemetery. It’s subpar. It looks like a dumping ground. Literally!” Whiteside said.
Whiteside lives in Missouri. She says she was surprised by what she saw when taking a trip to Jackson to the grave site on Mother’s Day.
“It was obvious that there had been a storm because you could see a large tree down, parallel to their grave,” Whiteside said. “But just to see all the trash, it was very heartbreaking. I was appalled.”
She says her parents purchased a family plot at the cemetery, so several of her family members are there, which brings a bigger concern.
“It was just like they were dishonored. It just had a very undertone of disrespect,” Whiteside said.
Whiteside says she wants the cemetery owners to have it displayed how it’s advertised on their website.
“It shouldn’t be a problem to have the grass mowed every two weeks or at least keep the trash out,” she said.
“Just because someone is no longer with us, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make their final resting place beautiful, and my parents deserved more than this,” Whiteside said.
As of Monday, it is apparent that it has now been cleaned up. The family says they hope it will stay this way, and hope it will be continuously maintained.
WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reached out to the cemetery’s owners.
They say they believe youth in the area have been vandalizing the cemetery.
