The Dunedin City Council has launched an investigation into claims one of its cemetery workers exhumed the ashes of a recently deceased man and moved them - without consulting the dead man's widow.
Council staff yesterday confirmed an investigation was under way, but declined all further comment until their investigation of the allegations had been completed.
"I have no comment other than to confirm we are investigating an issue in respect to work undertaken at one of our cemeteries," council community life general manager Graeme Hall said.
"This investigation is not expected to be completed until late May due to the unavailability of people we need to speak with."
The anonymous person who contacted the ODT claimed in a letter the dead man's ashes and personal items had been buried by his surviving family members, including his widow, in a plot dug by a council worker.
The family left after marking the ashes with a temporary cross and fresh flowers.
However, when the family next visited the cemetery they found the ashes, together with the cross and flowers, had been moved to a new plot elsewhere in the same cemetery.
A monumental mason visiting to add a headstone had first discovered the ashes were buried "about three plots too far along", and the council worker who dug the plot had decided to move them without consulting the family, the letter said.
"Next time [the family] went to the cemetery she discovered the DCC had dug her husband's ashes up and shifted them.
The first she knew about it was when she visited the cemetery and [the] cross and flowers were in a different place."
The ODT has decided not to publish the name of the dead man or the cemetery to protect the family's privacy.
Those in contact with them said the family were distressed and did not want to talk to the media.
Other sources close to the incident told the ODT the contents of the letter appeared accurate, but declined to be named or comment publicly because of the sensitivity surrounding the matter.
The ODT is seeking answers to a list of questions from the council under the terms of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
The council has 20 working days to consider the request.
