A heartbroken mother has discovered that her child’s grave has been empty for more than four decades after her son died at just 7 days old.
The story takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, where 71-year-old Lydia Reid has launched a legal action against the Crown Office and the funeral home that was supposed to bury her son back in 1975.
As the upset pensioner explained, she has known with certainty that her son’s grave has been empty ever since the 7-day-old’s grave was examined back in 2017.
While Reid had long suspected something was off because of how light her son’s coffin was, her worst fears have been confirmed after the grave was exhumed.
Leading the exhumation was Sue Black, a forensic anthropologist, who found no evidence or remains that would suggest that the body of the 7-day-old was ever placed in the coffin.
According to Reid, her son’s body was most likely illegally retained, whereas she now hopes to get his remains back to give him a proper funeral.
“It’s been three years since we discovered Gary wasn’t in his grave. We thought we would get his ashes returned to us after that and he could be laid to rest, but nothing has changed,” the 71-year-old told the Daily Record.
“They won’t even give me back those parts of my son so that we can open the grave and have what little we have buried. They belong to me.”
As the mother added, she refuses to give up on the hunt for the truth.
“I want this to be dealt with by an independent, professional company who have no agenda. They will give truthful information but also ensure I get every single piece back,” she told the outlet.
“Are they keeping this going in the hope I’ll kick the bucket? Because I’m not going to give up or keep fighting for Gary and for other parents. They’re not going to keep me quiet.”
Speaking of the bizarre case, Sue Black confirmed that the “only one possible logical explanation” was that Gary’s body was never “put in that coffin.”
Previously, the NHS admitted that thousands of organs, mostly those belonging to young children, were retained by hospitals in Scotland in the years between 1970 and 2000.
As Reid believes, her baby’s body was unlawfully retained and used for research purposes despite her never consenting to or being made aware of such procedures.
Replaced!