Pinecrest Cemetery in Lake Worth unkempt, some say

LAKE WORTH, Fla. - Uncovering the names of loved ones in the last place she thought they'd be neglected has become Nancy Updike's mission.

In the past few months at the Pinecrest Cemetery in Lake Worth, Updike says many burial places have gone to ruin.

"To me, it's very disrespectful to families and ones that have passed on," she said.

Updike walks the grounds with a screwdriver tapping out the location of grave markers masked by dirt and weeds.

She says she wants to spare families the heartbreak she felt last November. That's when Updike said the headstone of her father-in-law, a World War II veteran, and mother-in-law, a breast cancer victim, were nowhere to be found.

"I had to get a groundskeeper to help me locate it," she recalled.

Updike is not the only one complaining.

Mark Parrilla, the president of the Genesis Neighborhood Association, said he unearthed headstones with the names of other military veterans.

"It gets to me because I'm very aware of the fact the liberties I enjoy and my freedoms is thanks to these veterans," said Parrilla.

Parrilla said problems began last year after the city hired a private landscaping company to maintain cemetery grounds.

Updike isn't waiting though. Her work to reveal the names of loved ones goes on.

"Somebody loved them and this is very disrespectful," she said.