Family discovers mother's headstone in Boston cemetery moved without notification: "We want our story to be heard"
Julie Peterson was the heart of her family. Her daughter, Kristen Forte, said she loved everyone and had the best laugh.
Peterson died of cancer on January 11, 2022. She was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury and was to be laid to rest in the same plot with her younger brother who died when he was a child.
Four years later, on January 11, 2026, Forte visited her mother's grave and immediately knew something was wrong.
"I walked up and I realized... that her headstone was moved, it wasn't in the spot. I was shocked. I was really upset," she told WBZ-TV's I-Team.
Photos from the burial confirmed exactly where Julie Peterson was buried. Forte later learned that while her mother's headstone was moved, her body was not. Peterson was left buried in another family's plot.
"She's still there where her headstone (was)," said Forte. "The ground was never dug up. You can see the mud on the ground now, so we know she was not moved."
The family said St. Joseph Cemetery never notified them of the mistake. They discovered it on their own.
"I think the whole situation is terrible," said Julie Peterson's sister Susan. "I feel like they tried to cover this up."
"She's supposed to be resting in peace. How is that going to happen to now? It's been four years. We grieve every day. We will be here when she gets moved, but how is she supposed to rest in peace when you're going to have to move her," said Forte.
The I-Team reached out to St. Joseph, which is owned by the Holyhood Cemetery Association, a private non-sectarian organization. In a statement the association told WBZ:
Out of deep respect for those interred at our cemetery and for their families, we do not comment publicly on matters regarding any individual burial. Our longstanding policy is to communicate directly and privately with families concerning any issues related to their loved ones.
Julie Peterson was finally moved to her final resting place a few weeks ago. Her family held a private service for the exhumation.
"We want our story to be heard. We don't want anyone else to have to go through this," said Susan Peterson.
"We all miss her and this is just bringing up emotions that we've had but they're coming back," Forte said.
The I-Team also reached out to the Massachusetts Cemetery Association (MCA), a volunteer association of public, private and religious cemeteries across the state that focuses primarily on education and advocacy concerning cemeteries.
MCA is not a regulatory entity, nor does it have any oversight capabilities, and it does not keep data or records regarding consumer complaints. The organization's spokesman, Guy Glodis, sent this statement to WBZ:
"As the legislative agent for the MCA, I can count on one hand how many plot or cemetery mix ups have occurred over the last decade or two. Cemeteries are not immune from mistakes, like any other industry from Aviation to Healthcare, mistakes are made. However, there is a significant scarcity of mistakes within the cemetery profession. According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) cemeteries have the lowest complaint rate of any industry tracked (less than 1%) and according to the CCSC (Cemetery Consumer Service Council) there is an average of 50 complaints annually, on a national level (average of one per state), with over 70,000 burials in Massachusetts every year, that makes for an outstanding track record."
