A man who told reporters he is a former employee of a private excavation company Metro hired to assist with burials recently called renewed attention to the presence of human remains in the soil on vacant Metro property near Blue Lake Regional Park. Remains were originally discovered in January of this year.
In January, with the cooperation of local officials and regulators, Metro immediately returned the exposed remains to their original cemetery. Metro also:
- worked closely with the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board
- stopped moving soil to Blue Lake Regional Park
- required its private burial services contractor to conduct additional soil inspections
- created a plan to search for and respectfully manage any additional remains found at Blue Lake Regional Park. (Dry weather is required to implement the plan.)
In addition, Metro will:
- return the recently discovered remains and any others discovered to a cemetery
- install temporary fencing around perimeter of the site
- ask police for additional patrols to prevent other vandals from disturbing the site
- assist police with any and all investigations
- install additional no trespassing signs
- continue to work with the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board.
Finally, Metro takes significant precautions to ensure that remains from old plots are are not disturbed during excavation of new plots, including examining dirt as it is removed for a burial. When shifting soils produce visible bone fragments, Metro’s contractor is expected to immediately cease digging, assess the situation, and ensure the respectful and proper burial of the remains.
Metro's pioneer cemeteries are as much as 160 years old. In some cases, burial plots are not marked. Many graves have shifted because of ground movement and tree roots. And, use of concrete liners was not required until the early 1980s so older graves are not contained.
Because of these challenges, Metro stopped selling burial plots in Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery in February of 2009, and will cease selling burial plots in Multnomah Park Cemetery on May 31, 2011.