Mom’s gravesite looks like someone ‘dug her up,’ son says

By Derrick Lewis

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    CLOVERLEAF, Texas (KTRK) — A grieving son said a cemetery in northeast Harris County is not keeping his mother’s gravesite in good condition.

To his surprise, he said management told him it’s his responsibility to report issues when he sees them.

David Gilliland is heartbroken. His mother, Billie Joyce Baker, passed away in September.

In just a few months, her headstone at San Jacinto Memorial Park and Funeral Home began sinking with holes around it.

“It looked like somebody had dug her up almost,” Gilliland said. “It was heartbreaking to see it like that.”

Gilliland said it had been like that for at least a week. He told ABC13 he paid more than $13,000 to bury his mother.

“Anybody that’s had to bury a loved one knows it’s expensive, and for you to have to come up with that money and get this kind of service from these people here, it’s heartbreaking,” he said.

For him to see this around the holidays tore him apart.

“This is a time of the year when people miss their family and loved ones mostly and they want to come put flowers out,” he said.

The manager didn’t want to talk on camera. However, she apologized to Gilliland and said these issues, that happen when the ground is wet, must be reported before anything is done.

“For the lady to tell me somebody has to report it to fix it, that’s not acceptable to me,” Gilliland said.

ABC13 had questions for management.

We wanted to know whether crews monitored the area, and if so, how often.

They would not answer any questions in person and directed us to their legal department.

“I’m going to be laying there one day. And if somebody doesn’t take care of this, then I’m going to be laying in a place, just how I’ve seen my mom and the rest of my family, and that’s sad,” he said.

Crews finally showed up Wednesday to fix his mother’s gravesite.

He’s warning others who may also have relatives buried here.

“You find your family member’s gravesite is not being taken care of properly, you have to go to the main office to complain. Otherwise, they do not fix it,” he said.

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