GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford County sheriff’s detectives have opened a criminal investigation into Piedmont Memorial Park Cemetery on McConnell Road in Greensboro, and they want to hear from families and businesses that have dealt with it over the last several years.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office asked it to take up the case. The Greensboro City Attorney’s Office and the North Carolina Cemetery Commission are also part of the review.
The commission says the cemetery is out of compliance with the state Cemetery Act, which requires anyone running a cemetery to hold a license. The commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to the operator, National Vault Services Inc., saying it had no record of a license for the company. When no answer came by the early October deadline, the commission sent the matter to the district attorney.
Families with relatives buried there can keep visiting graves for now. Anyone planning a funeral or burial at the site is being told to check first with the Cemetery Commission so the legal requirements are met. If detectives need to examine the grounds further, the cemetery may close for a time, with yellow tape across the entrance until it reopens.
Concerns about the property grew after families complained about neglected grave sites, where grass in places had grown high enough to hide markers.
Detectives are asking to hear from anyone who has bought a plot, arranged a burial or otherwise done business since January 2019 with the cemetery, the company that owns it, or a funeral home acting for it. Tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000, and investigators said the inquiry is still active.
Section: More Greensboro NC crime news
Filed under: Greensboro NC Crime News
