A West Virginia gravedigger is facing charges after allegedly disturbing an infant’s grave and leaving the child’s remains exposed at the cemetery where he was employed. The infant’s clothing and casket were reportedly discarded over a hillside by the gravedigger, who had inadvertently disturbed the child’s burial site while preparing another plot, according to law enforcement and emergency call reports.
The incident came to light when visitors to the cemetery discovered the unsettling scene. “We were here decorating graves for Easter,” a woman reported in a 911 call. Another caller, a man, described the scene in more detail: “It’s like someone dug a grave up and there’s a baby. The casket’s thrown over a hill.”
Matthew Fortner, 49, was taken into custody by the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday. He faces charges of displacement of a dead body and intentionally withholding information about the disturbance of human remains. Court records indicate that Fortner has entered a plea of not guilty and his bond has been set at $5,000 in relation to the incident, which occurred on March 27.
The discovery of the disturbed grave and the exposed infant remains left a deep impact on those who found them. “This is not what I expected to find,” the female caller said. “We found baby clothes,” she added.
Cabell County Sheriff Doug Adams expressed that his office was deeply affected by the discovery at Baylous Cemetery in Salt Rock. His team worked diligently to identify the person responsible after the incident was first reported last week. “It’s bothered them and weighed on everyone’s minds,” Adams said.
Initially when the police arrived, it was unclear whether the infant, described as a boy who was only a few days old at the time of his death, had been brought to the cemetery or exhumed by someone. “We scoured that entire cemetery,” Adams said. “Looking to see if there were any graves that had been disturbed and we couldn’t find any. So [we were] wondering if that child was buried in that cemetery or if it was brought from somewhere else.”
The infant, who passed away in 1982, was buried adjacent to the plot that Fortner was preparing for another burial. The complaint alleges that Fortner chose to dispose of the child over a hillside near his grave site rather than rebury him. The infant’s casket also appeared to have been damaged by Fortner. “It takes a sick individual, in my opinion, to desecrate a grave and mess with a corpse, period,” Adams said.