TULSA, Okla. — 2 News received a call from Kimberly Willis, who said her son's grave has been neglected and left covered in grass.
Cory Mehaffey was Willis's son. But on Valentine's Day, 1999, Willis said she came home to something no parent wants to see.
"He committed suicide at 13 years old. I came home from work and cut the noose from his neck myself," said Willis.
Cory is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery. Willis said he was her firstborn and a football player at Union High School.
The grave looked clean when 2 News visited, But Willis said she found it looking very different every time she came to grieve.
"I have to dig the grass off and wipe it off, and every Sunday, that's what I come and have done," said Willis.
Willis contacted Rose Hill and the city of Tulsa to get the grave cleaned. She received an email saying her complaint was resolved, but she said she still found Cory's grave covered in grass.
"This is the only place I can go see him, and I shouldn't have to. I should be able to come over and not have to do nothing," said Willis.
When 2 News walked up to the cemetery's main office to get their side of the story, we were told we needed an appointment, and the door was shut.
Willis said all she wants is for her son to be respected.
"It's the principal that this the only thing I got to connect myself with my son."
2 News received this email from the President of Rose Hill Memorial Park Cemetery after the story aired:
Unfortunately, currently the office is only open by appointment. This has been required for the safety of our staff. As we discussed, I think this has been our most challenging year out of the last ten years for grounds keeping at Rose Hill Cemetery. We have battled the weather in the spring, significant delays in getting our equipment timely serviced and repaired when it goes down and a chronic staff shortage. Equipment issues and weather are pretty typical, but we have never had this much problem finding staff. We are currently operating with only six full time groundskeeping employees when we would normally have at least 10 full time and two part-time positions at this time of year. We have had no luck in filling those positions. We recognize that the cemetery mowing and weed eating has lacked at different times this season. Our plan to get the mowing and weed -eating caught back up is to hire an outside mowing contractor in order to supplement our employees. We have narrowed it to the contractor we want to use and we are working to come up with appropriate pricing. It is my hope that we will have that agreement finalized this week. And that the mowing and weed-eating will be caught up withing the two weeks following execution of that agreement.
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