CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A Metro Detroit family had to go digging for answers after they were told a Clinton Township cemetery mistreated their father’s gravesite.
They said the gravesite was disturbed and the cemetery gave them explanations that just didn’t make any sense. Then, secret photos were shared with the family.
To understand why Arthur Trottier’s family is doing this, you have to go back to February 2022. That’s when the family knew something was wrong. They visited his grave at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township and noticed unearthed ground where it shouldn’t have been.
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“They told me that they were doing a burial next to my dad and that they noticed that my dad’s vault was compromised,” daughter Terry Jowett said. “‘But out of the goodness of my heart, we decided to replace your dad’s vault.’”
That story didn’t make sense to Terry Jowett.
The cemetery was unwilling to speak to Local 4 on camera. Instead, we received the following statement:
The family got a judge to approve their request to go searching for answers. They wanted to know if their father’s casket and remains were treated with respect or if the photos were true.
Their fears were true. They said someone did just pile trash and chunks of concrete on their father’s remains.
“We were all hopeful that we wouldn’t see that when the vault was lifted, and there was a small glimmer that possibly dad was resting like they said he was, and peacefully,” the family’s attorney, Anthony Bologa, said. “But it’s unfortunate that the nightmare continues and it was just debris and pieces of casket that they reburied and tried to cover up.”
The family said they will be reburying their father and mother, this time in a crypt.
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Have a case you’d like us to look into? Reach the Local 4 investigative team at 313-962-9348, or email Karen Drew at kdrew@wdiv.com.