The Louisiana Cemetery Board released a series of letters and emails that reveal a decade‑long pattern of neglect at Sweet Olive Cemetery in Baton Rouge. Correspondence from 2014 through 2017 documents complaints about deteriorating graves, unclear burial fees, and the board’s inability to compel maintenance.
Veterans’ grave draws renewed attention
In October, the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs announced it was working with other agencies to repair or relocate the remains of Pfc. Samuel Pierre Jr., whose casket was exposed when a brick structure collapsed. Pierre, a 22‑year‑old who died in Korea in 1952, had no living immediate family identified, and the department said any costs would depend on the legal process.
Ownership and licensing issues
Cemetery Board Director Jerry Sullivan noted that Sweet Olive has been unlicensed since 2000 because no completed application meeting legal requirements has been submitted. The board’s records show that ownership of the site remains unresolved.
In a September 29, 2014 letter to Assistant Attorney General Ryan Seidemann, W.T. Winfield of Winfield Cemetery Stewards LLC thanked the official for visiting the grounds. Winfield explained that a vehicle‑damage settlement funded a mausoleum to enclose disturbed remains, though the amount and number of affected families were not disclosed. He added, “We repaired the fence and continue to use every dollar we receive to repair tombs and vaults that continue to collapse with time.”
Questions about burial fees
Winfield’s organization handled maintenance, management and interments, reporting fewer than ten burials per year and charging burial fees ranging from $500 to $1,000, not including perpetual care. On December 16, 2014, Cemetery Board Director Lucy McCann questioned those charges, noting Sweet Olive held neither a certificate of authority nor an exempt certificate. She asked, “What does the burial fee cover?” and requested an exemption application along with sales, deed, ownership, burial‑map and interment records.
A follow‑up notice dated January 20, 2015 indicated no response had been received.
Family complaints and limited resources
In October 2017, resident Mildred Jones Johnson complained that cleanup efforts had not been sustained. Winfield responded by emphasizing the cemetery’s reliance on volunteers and descendants of those interred. He described sheriff’s inmate crews clearing vegetation, students raking debris, and public‑works employees hauling trash. A December 2014 report noted a week of work by inmate crews, but the documents contain no accounting of public costs.
On November 29, 2017, McCann told Johnson that Title 8 of Louisiana’s Revised Statutes does not give the board authority to force cleanup of a non‑perpetual‑care cemetery, writing, “While we understand your concerns, we have no legal authority to act in this situation.”
What comes next?
The released files do not show whether any enforcement action followed the separate inquiry into certification and record‑keeping. The Louisiana Cemetery Board and state agencies continue to monitor the situation, but ownership and licensing remain unresolved, leaving families and veterans’ groups to seek further assistance.
Local officials say the ongoing dialogue underscores the need for clear regulations and adequate funding to preserve historic burial grounds while respecting the families who depend on them.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
