Category: CNN Regional

By Larry Seward

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    FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (WFOR) — The City of Fort Lauderdale is facing criticism after a cemetery mix-up left a grieving family uncertain where to bury their loved one.

Family’s burial plans disrupted

Vivian George of Lauderhill purchased two plots at the city-owned Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery in 2013, according to a contract. Her family said she expected to be buried next to her late husband, Ralph George, who died 12 years ago.

However, George’s children recently discovered that someone else’s remains were placed in her grave. Days later, Vivian George died in Crandall, Texas, where she had moved to live with her daughter after doctors diagnosed her with a terminal illness.

Her family is now grieving and unsure where to lay her to rest. They are demanding a solution that honors her wishes.

Daughter says cemetery gave conflicting answers

“I called the cemetery and I just kept getting a lot of ‘the director is going to call you,'” Brandy George said. “I (was told) it was the cemetery’s fault. It was the funeral home’s fault. It was the cemetery’s fault. It was the funeral home’s fault. It was kind of back and forth.”

Soon after her father’s death, Vivian George went to McWhite Funeral Home for help arranging side-by-side graves, Brandy George said.

A contract obtained by CBS News Miami lists Albert McWhite as the person who paid for Ralph and Vivian George’s plots.

City confirms grave was resold

The City of Fort Lauderdale, which owns the cemetery, confirmed that a second family later purchased the same plot.

In a statement, Ashley Doussard, Director of Strategic Communications for the City Manager’s Office, explained:

“The plot at Sunset Memorial Gardens is owned by Mr. Albert McWhite, purchased in 2013. In 2019, at Mr. McWhite’s direction, Ms. Vanessa Samuel was interred there. The City is working with the George and Samuel families, as well as Mr. McWhite, to reach a resolution that is acceptable to both the families involved.”

The contract signed by McWhite lists him as Ralph George’s brother, something the family disputes.

“McWhite (is) the name of the funeral (director), but my father (doesn’t have) a brother named Albert McWhite,” Brandy George said.

CBS News Miami called two phone numbers for McWhite and visited his funeral home, but he did not return messages.

Attorney rejects proposed fix

Frustrated by the lack of answers, the George family hired attorney Ari Pregen, who sent letters demanding the city and cemetery managers resolve the matter.

“The solutions if you will that are being proposed to my client are we’ll exhume, unbury, dig up your deceased father while you’re grieving your mother,” Pregen said. “Now, you’re going to have to re-grieve your father and we’ll just bury them somewhere else.”

For the family, that suggestion is painful and unacceptable.

“You’re the first person that’s telling me that they’re trying to work it out,” Brandy George said.

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By Justin Berger

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    POLK COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Warning: This story describes and has images pertaining to animal cruelty that may be disturbing.

Four severely malnourished mini horses that were surrendered to Polk County Animal Control in April are on the mend.

Dr. Emily Setlakwe, a veterinarian at Tryon Equine Hospital, examined the four minis just a few days after the animals were surrendered at The Sanctuary at Red Bell Run.

“They had just arrived and they were all very, very, very thin, just a rack of bones,” Setlakwe said. “They had heavy lice infestations; they had some overgrown feet that were infected and overall were just in really bad shape… all of them had some degrees of sand in their intestinal tracks and this can be a reflection of they didn’t really have much else to eat at that time.”

Setlakwe said the four horses, named Opal, Quinn, Butterscotch and Griffin, have come a long way. All four of them have put on at least 40 pounds.

“The overfeeding or improper feeding can lead to metabolic issues and sometimes can actually result in death of the animals when they’ve been emaciated for many, many months,” Setlakwe said.

Mary Adams founded The Sanctuary at Red Bell Run, where the minis have been for the last five months; it’s an equine facility for animals with special medical needs.

“When these animals came in, everybody was in tears,” Adams said. Quinn, the worst off of the four has made an astounding recovery, but still thinks sand is food. That’s why the always walks on mats, to prevent her from accessing the sand.

But there’s good news too, Quinn has actually gained so much wait that she needs to lose five pounds.

Butterscotch is a dwarf and will eventually move to a specialized sanctuary to address her ongoing medical issues.

Adams said the sanctuary has spent $22,000 in direct medical care for the four minis.

“Ninety percent of the animals you see on this sanctuary were in that shape when they were first rescued so we’re very experienced at it,” she said.

Maddisonrose Quiles, AKA Sprinkle and Jabin Sprinkle were convicted in Polk County District court on Wednesday of four counts, each, of Misdemeanor Animal Cruelty charges. Sprinkle and Quiles were sentenced to a year of supervised probation, and they must get a license for their petting zoo.

Polk County Animal Control’s Patti Lovelace estimated they still have about 150 animals and will be conducting the first welfare check next week.

“I’m glad that we got the truth out about these people, I understand there’s been complaints for years,” Lovelace said. “We’re going to come in unannounced, and they have to be ready for us when we get over there so hopefully, they will be.”

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Kevin Harrington
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By Jill Lamkins

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    FREMONT, Nebraska (KMTV) — There are a lot of memories in this building on 10th and Main for the Fremont High School class of 1950. While it’s now home to the school district office, these Tigers never forgot where they came from and are celebrating their final reunion together, 75 years later.

With a graduating class of around 190, 15 old classmates made it out to the Fremont Golf Club to celebrate their diamond jubilee reunion.

“We are a very close class. We’ve been close throughout the many many years of getting together,” said Bill Jensen.

These friends have gotten together nearly every year since graduating, and although the group has gotten smaller, their bond has never faltered.

“And then the more you get together the closer you get when you’re older,” said LaVonne Nelsen.

Now in their 90s, getting together isn’t as easy anymore, so they’ve decided this will be their last reunion. But they’ll cherish every moment.

“I loved choir, I loved journalism and I loved being a cheerleader for so many years,” said Verla McClay.

“Yeah I was a cheerleader,” said Ruth Walther Albright.

When asked about her cheerleading days, Albright’s daughter could be heard off camera saying she brought her pom poms to the reunion.

Among the laughs and memories shared was also a moment to honor the classmates they’ve lost.

“We hold you close within our hearts and there you will remain to walk and guide us through our lives until we meet again,” said Jessie Waterman.

This milestone of reuniting 75 years after high school doesn’t happen often. To honor it, Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg issued a proclamation declaring Sept. 18, 2025, FHS Class of 1950s Day.

“We got along. We got along without TV. We didn’t have any air conditioning, we didn’t have any cell phones but we succeeded. Our generation is called the silent generation for a reason. We were very thrifty. We got more for our dollar I’ll tell you that,” Jensen said.

These classmates want to encourage the next generation to cherish the bonds you make, because they might just last you a lifetime.

“You always have opportunities to make new friends but don’t ever forget those old friends,” McClay said.

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By Victor Jorges

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    ATLANTIS, Florida (WPTV) — Making it to 105 is a big deal – but according to Dr. Theodore Gerson’s family, what’s even more impressive is everything he’s accomplished since calling Palm Beach County home back in the 1950s.

Our cameras were rolling as this local hero received quite the surprise: his loved ones decorated his entire front yard to celebrate this incredible milestone birthday.

“Happy 105th Theodore!” read the colorful signs adorning his property.

Inside his home, WPTV reporter Victor Jorges asked Gerson the question everyone wants answered: What’s his secret to making it 105 years?

“I wish I knew,” he said. “I’d never dreamed that I would live this long.”

But all jokes aside, Gerson did share his daily philosophy – the mindset that gets him out of bed each morning after doing so for more than a century.

“I don’t have the drive to get up at this age, but I get up, because I know there’s daylight coming through the window, and I know it isn’t healthy to lie in bed all day long,” he said.

Gerson has built quite the legacy here in Palm Beach County. His family estimates that during his 41 years as a practicing physician, he helped deliver more than 7,000 babies.

“It wasn’t a normal life,” he said. “I almost never had a night’s sleep uninterrupted. If I did, I woke up thinking there must be something wrong with the phone.”

But ask Gerson about his biggest accomplishment, and he won’t mention the countless deliveries or medical procedures. Instead, he focuses on something more personal – the relationships he built with thousands of families over the decades.

“What I’m proud of is the great number of people that I had as patients who felt that I had done a good job,” he said. “It was something I never dreamt I’d ever feel, but it was a warm feeling. It was like having a giant family in one town.”

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By Jordan Bontke

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    MESA, Arizona (KNXV) — When 70-year-old Carla Well-Knight received grim news about her health, she didn’t let it stop her from spreading kindness throughout her Mesa senior living facility. That generosity recently came back to her in a loud and unforgettable way.

Well-Knight’s life is like a never-ending, versatile playlist. Her musical tastes range from Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull, and from her younger days to mood-setting Motown and classical quartets on Sundays.

“Probably cello is my favorite instrument,” Well-Knight said.

But a closer look at her 70-year musical catalog reveals one genre that stands out above the rest — she’s a rocker through and through.

“Korn is probably my second favorite band,” she said.

Well-Knight loves Tool, A Perfect Circle and Linkin Park, but this 70-year-old’s all-time favorite artist is Nine Inch Nails.

“He does write a lot of things about death,” she said.

Those songs about death hit differently these days. Well-Knight is receiving hospice care at her Mesa senior living facility as she battles a spreading form of breast cancer. This comes a few years after cancer took her husband.

But grim news from doctors and dark music didn’t diminish Well-Knight’s kindness.

“I believe the more you give, the more you get back. Always. And I love giving things away,” she said.

When her neighbors needed walkers and wheelchairs, Well-Knight didn’t hesitate to offer up extras from her home. That generosity led a caretaker to nominate her for AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime program, which reconnects seniors with their passions.

Her wish was granted in the form of floor seats to see Nine Inch Nails at PHX Arena. There she was, in the middle of the mosh pit, rocking out just feet from frontman Trent Reznor.

Well-Knight says she’s at peace when her playlist does come to an end. She believes the best way to live life is when kindness is turned all the way up.

“The two words: be kind. What you say might cheer them up in a way you don’t know,” she said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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By Randy Wimbley

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    HOLLY, Michigan (WXYZ) — For more than 30 years, 85-year-old Daisy Marshall believed her husband’s ashes were safely contained in an urn at her home. Now she’s not sure whose remains she’s been keeping.

“Where had those ashes been for all that time, and whose ashes did I have?” Marshall said.

The shocking discovery came in 2022 when Marshall was making her own prearrangements at Great Lakes National Cemetery. She wanted to be cremated and interred with her husband, Charles, an Air Force veteran. That’s when cemetery staffers delivered devastating news.

“They told me that somebody, well, somebody was interred under my husband’s ID already. And the ashes had been delivered there in December of 2018,” Marshall said.

Marshall had believed she received all of her husband’s remains at his memorial service in 1991, which was conducted by Wilson-Akins Funeral Homes.

“I had been presented with what I thought was my husband’s remains, all of his remains at the memorial service in 1991,” she said.

The funeral home is now involved in an ongoing legal dispute with Marshall over the handling of her husband’s ashes.

An attorney representing the funeral home claims Marshall requested only a portion of her husband’s ashes and that the rest be stored at the facility for her to pick up. The lawyer says she never did, and those cremains remained there for nearly 28 years.

Marshall disputes this account entirely.

“That conversation never happened. It never happened,” Marshall said. “Even if the conversation had taken place, I was supposed to be given, according to what I’ve read, some written communication to pick those ashes up.”

The state ordered the funeral home to give a proper final disposition to all of their unclaimed cremains in 2018, at which point they were sent to Great Lakes National Cemetery. Marshall would discover this by chance four years later.

“Shock, disbelief,” Marshall says.

Marshall is pursuing a lawsuit, hoping to ensure no one else has the same experience that she and, allegedly, other families endured.

“Three other veterans’ ashes were interred there or stored there, I should say. Two of those veterans had been there over 31 years, and one, over 10 years,” Marshall said.

The state’s Mortuary Science Unit investigated the matter and cleared the funeral home of any wrongdoing, but the legal fight over what happened continues.

Wilson-Aikins Funeral Homes Statement from Attorney Brunette Brandy:

In the matter involving Daisy Marshall v. Wilson-Aikens Funeral Home, please be advised that my client has complied with all state regulations relating to the Mortuary Science Licensing Division as attached. Mrs. Daisy Marshall contracted with Wilson-Aikens Funeral Home to provide for the cremation of her husband’s remains. She arranged for those cremated remains to be delivered to her at the funeral home where services were held. Wilson-Aikens delivered the cremated remains, to Mrs. Daisy Marshall at the funeral home.

Mrs. Marshall did not want all of the ashes and only took part of the ashes and directed Mr. Aikens to only give her part of the cremated remains and asked that the rest of the cremated remains to go back to Wilson-Aikens Funeral Home for storage. Wilson-Aikens Funeral Home delivered the ashes to Mrs. Marshall at the church. Once Mrs. Marshall rejected taking the entire delivery of the cremated remains, as she only wanted part of the ashes, she was under a duty to pick up the ashes at the Wilson-Aikens Funeral Home.

Wilson-Aikens Funeral Home stored the cremated remains for an extended period of 27 years, from 1991 to 2018. In 2018, the State of Michigan, LARA Mortuary Science Licensing Division, inspected the funeral home and directed Mr. Aikens to transfer the cremated remains to the National Cemetery, which was done.

At no time during the 27-year period did Ms. Marshall come in to claim the remaining cremated remains. Once Mr. Marshall delivered the cremated remains and she accepted only part of the remains, it was an obligation upon her to claim the cremated tome to Wilson-Aikens Funeral Home and claim the cremated remains.

Mrs. Aikens’ prolonged inaction and lack of communication contributed to this dispute and disposition of the cremated remains. The funeral home exceeded its obligation by storing these cremated remains, which were unclaimed for 27 years.

This matter was reviewed in its entirety by the State of Michigan LARA Mortuary Science Unit, pursuant to a complaint of Daisy Marshall. The State of Michigan concluded that there was a proper disposition of the cremated matters. And there was no violations of the law or regulation.

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By Sharon Phillips

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KJRH) — Since 2017, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has been distributing unique card decks throughout state correctional facilities as part of an innovative approach to solving cold cases.

The concept is both simple and powerful: Every card features a real person whose life was cut short or who simply vanished without a trace.

“A few years ago, one of the initiatives that we had within OSBI was to produce some playing cards and to highlight or spotlight some of our cold cases on these cards whether that’s a missing person case or an unsolved homicide case,” said Dale Fine, an OSBI agent.

The strategy is surprisingly straightforward. Inmates naturally spend hours playing cards, so investigators decided to put unsolved cases directly in their hands.

Each deck becomes a constant reminder of these unresolved tragedies, featuring victim photos and crucial case details that might spark a memory or recognition.

The partnership between OSBI and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections ensures these decks reach inmates across the state prison system.

The hope is that someone shuffling through these cards will recognize a face, remember an overheard conversation or recall a crucial detail that could finally bring closure to a family that’s been waiting for answers.

“So we did a couple of series of these cards and basically put them out within the prison systems within Oklahoma, in turn trying to generate somebody coming across that card and that particular case on that card, maybe if they have that one piece of information that could be vital solving that case, hoping in turn that person would report that to the OSBI for further investigation,” Fine said.

For families still searching for answers, these playing cards represent something invaluable: hope that someone, somewhere, holds the key to finally bringing their loved one home or bringing their killer to justice.

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