Glendale cemetery owner found dead on property

Marsha Howard, one of the owners of the troubled Grand View Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale, was found dead this weekend in the caretaker’s residence at the facility, authorities said Sunday.

Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said Howard, 58, appears to have died of natural causes, but the Los Angeles County coroner’s office has not determined the cause.

Lorenz said officers discovered Howard’s body shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday after being alerted by her family that she was missing. He said it was not clear whether she had recently been residing at the home, which no longer had water or electricity and had been yellow-tagged by city officials several months ago.

State officials suspended Grand View’s license last year after finding cremated remains of up to 4,000 people who died as long ago as the 1930s stuffed in storage rooms and trash containers. Grand View is being sued by families who previously purchased plots or who allege that, among other things, the cemetery is not being properly maintained.

The city of Glendale is operating the cemetery four hours a week, from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays, as a community service.