Scottsdale woman says there are unmarked graves in HOA park
Oct 31, 2014, 6:38 PM | Updated: Nov 1, 2014, 4:58 pm
PHOENIX — Residents of a Scottsdale community recently received a newsletter they thought was themed for Halloween, saying there were two unmarked graves in the community park — but it wasn’t a prank.
A Scottsdale woman named Joanne Lawlor broke the news to her neighbors, saying she has known for more than 10 years about the secret burial of her late neighbors in the Villa Monterey community park.
The couple died of natural causes in the late 1990s.
Lawlor told 3TV that before their deaths, husband and wife “Doc and Virginia,” confided in her that they had approval to be buried in the park.
Home burials are legal in Arizona, but many are upset they were not informed about the burials and the grave is not marked in any way. Adding a plaque or headstone in the area would require HOA approval.
Others are skeptical of Lawlor’s story and believe there are no bodies buried in their community park.