Paying your last respects and carrying out the final rites when a loved one passes away is always an emotional experience.
But people then move on with their lives knowing that they can always go and visit the grave site of their loved ones who have passed on, at any time.
Many people take out certain days in a year to visit the grave sites of their loved ones.
Two families went through a traumatic experience a few weeks ago when they discovered a major anomaly.
The family of the late Jack Costello discovered that on the 20th of March this year, Costello's grave was used to bury the late Magnus Mitchell.
The late Jack Costello passed away 21 years ago.
The late Mitchell passed away on the 13th of March this year.
The spokesperson of the late Jack Costello family, Koila Costello Olsson said the family did not give the consent for the grave to be used and they then approached the Mitchell family.
So how did this happen?
Olsson then started off investigating how this incident occurred without their approval.
She said the Prison Commissioner and his staff were very helpful throughout this process.
It then came to light that certain individuals who were involved in arranging the plots at the Old Suva Cemetery for the Costello family had retained ownership of the plot without their knowledge, and had given the used plot without the Costello's consent or knowledge.
Along the way, both the Costello and Mitchell family have discovered that the same two individuals have done the same thing with other plots.
They believe that these two individuals in particular own about 100 plots.
They even discovered that some of the plots which were "owned" by the families were reused for some people without consent.
These people buried in the graves already used were not related to the families who "owned" the plots.
Koila Costello-Olsson explains.
Olsson said it was shocking to find out that someone close to them had done this, when they found out that they never owned the plot where her father was buried.
After days of discussions with the relevant authorities, it was agreed that the late Magnus Mitchell would have to be exhumed and relocated elsewhere within the Old Suva Cemetery.
This of course, as one can expect, was a traumatic experience for the families.
Out of respect for the Costello family, the Mitchell family agreed to exhume the late Magnus Mitchell.
The exhumation and burial occurred on the 30th of March and both families were present at the Old Suva Cemetery with a number of prison officials.
Olsson said both families worked well together to overcome this traumatic ordeal.
She said with what they have discovered, owners of unused plots at the Old Suva Cemetery should check whether the plots are still unused.
She also said the two families have decided to come out public to ensure that families down the line will not have to go through the distress, grief and trauma that they went through over the past few weeks.
The Fiji Prisons and Correctional Services said they are now looking at various procedures used at it's Cemetery Office.
Spokesperson, Fred Elbourne said they are concerned and they are now taking steps to rectify this issue.
Elbourne said they fully assisted the Costello and Mitchell families and he also calls on other families to contact them if they have any queries.
Feature
Families in shock after grave discovery
