Copyright M Live Michigan
KALAMAZOO, MI — Investigators have sifted through years of records, looking for clues about unmarked and unrecorded graves. It’s a graveyard mystery-turned-criminal case in Kalamazoo. Former Mt. Olivet Cemetery employee Shaun Albertson has been charged with embezzlement, as police allege he pocketed the money he collected for burials instead of giving it to the graveyard where he worked for over two decades. It raises a bone-chilling question: Where are the bodies and how many families are involved? A police report alleges multiple instances. The then-CFO of the Kalamazoo Catholic Diocese, Timothy Meeker, estimated Shaun Albertson allegedly stole over $388,000 in his over 20 years with the cemetery, according to a police report MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. However, he’s only currently charged with embezzling $1,800, the cost of opening and closing a grave plot for two people. It’s unclear how people may be impacted in the alleged scheme. Meeker retired in June 2024, per the diocese. Albertson had been receiving direct payment for opening and closing of grave sites from Joldersma & Klein funeral home since at least 2009, police allege. A diocese official estimated five to seven burials occur per year from Joldersma & Klein at Mt. Olivet and the cemetery has not received any of those payments. Albertson, who was terminated in April 2023 for an unrelated reason, was recently charged with embezzlement between $1,000 and $20,000, court records show. He was arraigned in September. “It is currently suspected that Mt. Olivet Cemetery has numerous graves that are unrecorded and unmarked and that payment for these graves and burial services were fraudulently made to Shaun Albertson, at his direction,” a sworn statement from KDPS officer Nick Anderson states. MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette has reached out to KDPS, the diocese and Joldersma & Klein funeral home seeking clarification, though questions remain about Albertson’s alleged plot. KDPS did not offer any information beyond what’s in police reports. “It would be more appropriate for the diocese to address any potential impact this embezzlement may have had on the grave sites, as any statement from us would be speculative,” KDPS Public Information Officer Zach Hamelton said. After being fired in 2023, Albertson was asked to return his work computer and passwords for related business email accounts. He refused to provide the passwords, the police report says. He returned the computer, but it was “wiped of most files.” A forensic analysis was completed in May 2023, indicating files had been offloaded to an external drive and deleted before the computer was returned to the diocese. Albertson forfeited a severance because of this, the police report says. The Diocese of Kalamazoo is aware of the case, Executive Director of Communications Victoria Cessna said, and church officials are cooperating with local law enforcement. The diocese declined to share any other information. Years of investigation The investigation began in September 2023 when Meeker called police to report alleged embezzlement and fraud by Albertson, a former employee. Family members had inquired about the location of graves in August 2023, and officials could find no record of them. Cemetery officials had to get a whole section surveyed, as they found about 10 graves there were no records for, per the police report. Albertson was in charge of operations as the sexton at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1888 and is owned and maintained by the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Albertson managed grave openings and closings. He would liaison between funeral homes and grave marker providers and was in charge of the financial activity for the burial services, documents state. The diocese paid Albertson as an employee to manage the cemetery property and its operations. Albertson took over the sexton position in 2002 after his father, Leon Albertson, held the position for decades. In August 2023, the diocese contacted Joldersma & Klein funeral home to look into burials in January 2023 and March 2023, according to court documents. MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette spoke with some family members who have relatives buried at Mt. Olivet. Sue Peeters, said her parents are buried at Mt. Olivet. She had secured a spot next to them, but was startled when another family member was buried there instead. She talked to Albertson, telling him a $200 deposit was made for her burial years ago, covering half the cost. To make it right, she said, Albertson told her she could be cremated and buried next to her parents. It wasn’t her choice to be cremated — she wanted to be buried in a casket — but she reluctantly accepted, she said. Now she’s worried about what might happen now, since Albertson promised her the spot. Another woman, Holly Meister, said her parents are buried there. Her family purchased plots, including one for her, years ago. She was alerted of the embezzlement case by MLive. She now wonders if her burial plot is still secured or not. Albertson allegedly left no burial records for graves, records state. The police report includes specific information about two graves: Opening and closing for Jeanne Hoard and Ronald Hoard. Joldersma & Klein provided records to the diocese that payment for these burials was made directly to Albertson totaling $1,800, or $900 for each of the two people, who both died in 2023. An online search shows photos of the Hoard gravestones. MLive has reached out to their family members. Then-CFO Meeker met with Dan Adams, owner of Joldersma & Klein, to explore other potentially fraudulent activity. When Adams purchased the funeral home in 2009, a practice was in place to pay Albertson directly for burial services rather than to pay Mt. Olivet Cemetery, the court filing states. The funeral home continued that practice without reason to question a historical precedent, court records state. Adams and the funeral home couldn’t be reached by MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. Meeker researched the obituary database for Joldersma & Klein for 2023 and determined all but one of their burials directed to Mt. Olivet Cemetery were not actually in the burial records. It was not immediately clear how many burials were unrecorded during that timeframe. Albertson’s attorney declined to comment for this story. Albertson posted $500 bond in September and is due back in court Nov. 12 for a preliminary examination.
