French woman finds dead son while burying brother in cemetery

A French mother discovered by chance that her son had died and had been buried last month when she stumbled on his freshly-dug grave while attending her brother's funeral.

By Henry Samuel in Paris
Published: 6:34PM BST 20 Aug 2010

Josiane Vermeersch attended the funeral of her 54-year-old brother in a cemetery in Hellemmes, northern France this week with her ex-husban, Elie Langlet and other relations.

After the brother was laid to rest in the family vault, the congregation were walking back down a cemetery path when a 19-year-old niece noticed a new gravestone 50 yards away and let out a cry.

She read out the name: "Olivier Langlet, 1968-2010". This was the name and date of birth of Miss Vermeersch's 42-year old son. He lived alone nearby, and the mother had left a message on his mobile phone for him to attend his uncle's funeral but could not get through. She had intended to pay him a visit after the funeral.

But to her horror, the local undertakers and town hall confirmed that her son had died on July 5, and that a letter had been sent to next of kin informing them of his demise. However, it appears they had sent it to the wrong address. After receiving no response from the family, the town hall ordered the deceased son's burial on July 18.

"My son was buried like a dog," the mother told Europe 1 radio.

The family intends to file a legal complaint against the local authorities.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7956594/French-woman-finds-dead-son-while-burying-brother-in-cemetery.html