A Burleson couple has sued a Houston cemetery for allegedly mishandling the interment of their infant daughter.
In a lawsuit filed against Emerald Hills Memorial Park on July 26 in the Harris County 133rd District Court, Steve and Angela Watson say that they hired the defendant to oversee funeral and burial arrangements for Joy Watson after she passed away on Aug. 8, 2014.
The Watsons had the girl buried in the children’s section of the defendant’s graveyard.
Nearly four months later, according to the original petition, Angela Watson went to the cemetery to lay items at her daughter’s gravesite only to find another child’s marker in its place.
“Even more horrifying was that this was a newly covered gravesite and a backhoe was nearby,” the complaint says.
“Ms. Watson broke down at the thought that her daughter’s body had been dug up and thrown away or crushed.”
Court documents further state that another baby was buried above the plaintiffs’ daughter, adding that “the defendant has admitted this error.”
The Watsons add that the ordeal in question inflicted “severe emotional anguish” on them.
They consequently seek unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
Attorneys Charles H. Peckham and Mary A. Martin of the law firm Peckham Martin, PLLC in Houston serve as the Watsons’ legal counsel.
Harris County 133rd District Court Case No. 2016-49196