The Region - News from Nov. 25, 1985

A coffin containing the body of a woman was found outside the walls of a Santa Fe Springs cemetery. Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Fitzsimmons said a youth walking past Paradise Mortuary in the 11500 block of Florence Avenue discovered the coffin lying on the sidewalk next to the cemetery, Fitzsimmons said. He said mortuary officials told investigators that the casket earlier had been placed in a grave but that the internment had not been completed. Wooden boards had been placed across the grave until it could be filled with dirt. During the night, someone removed the boards, hoisted the casket out of the grave, and tossed it over the cemetery wall, Fitzsimmons said. The lid of the coffin was ajar, but it was not open, and the woman’s remains had not been disturbed, he said. The casket and body were later buried.