NATIONAL BRIEFING / ILLINOIS

Records at the suburban Chicago cemetery where four people are accused of unearthing bodies in an alleged moneymaking scheme have been found disintegrating and rotting in a rusty file cabinet, authorities said.

The condition of records at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip illustrates the daunting task ahead of identifying the people whose graves have been disturbed. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said he’d received about 65,000 requests from families seeking information.

Meanwhile, Dart said he’s asking a court to appoint someone to run Burr Oak, where four former workers allegedly dug up bodies and resold the burial plots.

Dart said he is effectively running the historic African American cemetery. He said employees have been asking him when they can take their lunch and leave for the day.

“There is nobody running the cemetery right now other than me,” Dart said. “That obviously is not what should be going on here.”