Chelmsford mom says trash, evidence of parties turning up at son's grave

EAST CHELMSFORD, Mass. - A cemetery is simply not an appropriate place to smoke, drink and party, one local mother says.

Lori McDonald says people have been using her son’s cemetery as a place to party and have disrespected his grave site time and time again.

McDonald lost her son a year ago and he’s now buried in the St. Joseph Cemetery, which sits on more than a hundred acres in East Chelmsford.

The expansive cemetery offers lots of private and secluded spots, which is one of the reasons McDonald chose it. But she says it’s also attracting people who simply don’t belong there.

McDonald says she visits her son every day.

“Some people think I’m crazy,” said McDonald.

It’s a been rough year. Lori’s son, Michael, took his own life last august, a few days before his 24th birthday. The grieving process has been excruciating, but McDonald says it’s also been interrupted by people who shouldn’t be in the cemetery.

“People who are coming here are coming here for a reason,” she said. “They’re coming here to grieve a loved one. For someone to disrespect us by coming here to have a good time is—in my opinion—very inappropriate.”

Months ago, McDonald began noticing young people driving into her son’s cemetery to drink, smoke and party. Sometimes, she says they leave evidence behind.

“Nip bottles, you know, little alcohol nips, just trash in general that shouldn’t be here,” said McDonald.

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She said the cemetery is attractive to kids who want to a quiet place to party and be left alone. But she’s heartbroken. She feels like the spot for her son is being disrespected over and over.

“It hurts me greatly and it makes me angry that people think it’s O.K. because, ‘Oh, everybody is dead here, who cares?’ But you know a lot of us aren’t, and we do care,” she explained.

Boston 25 News reached out to the Chelmsford Police Department and told them about McDonald’s complaints.

“I think they’re private, they’re out of the way, they’re off the beaten track, they’re not expecting police to go in there and do regular patrols,” Deputy Chief Dave Ahern reasoned.

He told us they would increase patrols inside the cemetery.

“This is a place we come to honor our lost loved ones,” McDonald said. “This is not a place to have a good time. Parents, if your kids are into disappearing there’s a good chance they’re here. They don’t belong here.”

McDonald is organizing an event to benefit suicide prevention, you can find out more here.

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