Sicilian Gravedigger Arrested for Selling Evacuated Burial Sites

Police in Sicily have apprehended a former cemetery worker and are scrutinizing the involvement of 18 others in a scheme to resell burial plots after evacuating the deceased.

The ex-gravedigger's helper was also taken into custody amid allegations of corruption and bribery in Trapani, a coastal city on the western part of the Italian island. The investigation began in 2023, according to the police.

Authorities suspended the operations of three funeral parlors in the city. The cemetery had long been a source of delay and dissatisfaction among local residents.

The municipal gravedigger interfered with a hired external company tasked with managing burial services. He instead collaborated with three funeral homes to carry out the burials, exhume bodies, and transfer remains, pocketing a share of the earnings, the police stated.

His actions included orchestrating special exhumations, reclaiming burial spots to offer them for sale once more.

Money was reportedly exchanged under the guise of 'coffee for the burial director,' police reports indicated.

He is further accused of arranging illicit work by his bricklayer on private mausoleums, offering discounts through avoiding city taxes, and notifying local florists of fresh flowers on graves, which they would collect for resale.

The investigation suggests that he might have also taken jewelry and other valuables from the dead.

A video shared by the police displayed surveillance footage of these activities in the cemetery.

Reports have emerged of at least one instance where a family discovered their loved one's resting place changed, only to find the remains in a bag with others elsewhere in the cemetery.

During the inquiry, a total of 25 criminal acts were noted, which included 10 instances of corruption, leading to numerous private individuals being implicated in making agreements for expedited burial services.

A forensic pathologist is also believed to have collaborated, sometimes falsely affirming decomposition or omitting necessary medical reports.

Control of cemeteries and funeral homes often falls into the hands of mafia organizations or compromised local officials in parts of Italy.

In a separate incident, two weeks prior, a former cemetery manager in the Calabria region received a prison sentence of several years for manipulating similar practices. He was found guilty of removing remains to make room for new burials.