Records at cemetery falling apart

Records at the suburban Chicago cemetery where four people are accused of unearthing bodies in an alleged moneymaking scheme have been found disintegrating and rotting in a rusty file cabinet, authorities said Tuesday.

The condition of records at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip illustrates the daunting task ahead of identifying the dead whose graves have been disturbed. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Tuesday that he'd received about 65,000 requests from families seeking information about loved ones buried there.

Meanwhile, Dart said at a news conference that he's asking a court to appoint someone to run Burr Oak, where four former workers allegedly dug up bodies and resold the burial plots.

Dart said he is effectively running the historic African-American cemetery. He said employees have been asking him when they can take their lunch and leave for the day.

"There is nobody running the cemetery right now other than me," Dart said. "That obviously is not what should be going on here."