Abandoned cemeteries

Sikeston and Scott County have taken over as temporary custodians of three cemeteries in Sikeston and Morley. The three cemeteries are owned by Michael Graham and Associates, a Houston, Texas-based company that has been dissolved. Sikeston has taken on the record-keeping and maintenance at the two cemeteries there -- Memorial Park Cemetery and Garden of Memories. Scott County is performing the same roles for Forest Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Morley until the state can find a buyer for the cemeteries.

Operating a cemetery is a tremendous responsibility that carries with it a moral obligation to the families of the departed. Criminal charges should be filed against the top administrators of this company if any fraudulence is involved. And both government entities should keep track of the expenses they incur running these cemeteries. Any costs should become part of the sales price.

Both Sikeston and Scott County are to be commended for stepping up and doing the right thing.