COOK CO., IL (NBC) - A gruesome grave yard plot was unearthed in Illinois. Now, four people are behind bars, facing serious charges.

"This is my brother," Brenda Ray said. "He was buried here August 20, 1983. This is where he's supposed to be at and he's not there."

Ray was shocked at the scene of a macabre and sinister discovery.

Authorities in Cook County, Illinois said the manager of Burr Oak Cemetery and three grave diggers unearthed more than 300 grave sites, resold the plots and pocketed the cash.

The investigation began six weeks ago when the cemetery owners reported financial irregularities.

In that time, authorities have made grisly discoveries.

Bodies were found buried on top of each other, gravestones tossed aside, and body parts scattered haphazardly.

"I came across bones that were clear they were parts of skulls, parts of legs and arms," Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said.

FBI teams are working with local and state authorities to map out the graveyard and analyze evidence.

Meanwhile, families push for answers.

"I have 23 family members out here," Myrtis Palm Dean said. "I have grave sites that haven't even been used, headstones that are missing. This is ridiculous. This is sacred ground."

Burr Oak is an historic African-American graveyard - lynching victim Emmett Till is buried here. He was a child whose murder was a key event in the Civil Rights movement. His grave appears undisturbed, but Till's cousin said he is shocked this could happen.

"We just thought it was regulated by the state, and that certain things you couldn't do, but apparently that's not true," Till's cousin Simeon Wright said.

The alleged grave robbers are charged with dismembering a human body and face between six to 30 years in prison.



IL grave diggers unearth over 300 sites - 14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-





Even found Emmett Till's casket in the garbage.
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