Commonly, the first stage of grief is denial. A son took it to extremes by taking his mom's coffin home, straight from the church.
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The man, only referred to by his initials, R.A.D, was witnessed in his outburst of grief at La Carriona municipal cemetery in the Asturian town of Aviles. The anguished son was seen marching into the cemetery, towards his mom's coffin.
He promptly removed the flowers, and then the coffin, smashing through a small stone wall to remove it. According to onlookers, the son was claiming his mom had been laid to rest prematurely. He believed she wasn't dead, and he needed to check. Denial can be a wild thing.
Witnesses tried to stop him from moving his mom's coffin around, but he was having none of it. Instead, he asked them for help as he transported it to his car. He already had the back seat down, ready to go. The son then proceeded to transport his mother two miles back to his home.
A Quick Arrest For Son's Coffin Theft
The witnesses quickly called the priest in charge of the cemetery. He informed the police, and they moved in to detain the grief-stricken son. The police took him to a cell, where he was questioned and examined by a psychiatrist.
He told them that his mother had died too quickly. The death, which had happened only three days prior, was too sudden. He was struggling to believe she was dead. So, he had found his mom's coffin and uncovered her, in order to satisfy his curiosity. Some things have to be seen to be believed.
Despite clearly being disturbed by his mother's death, the psychiatrist said there was no reason to bring him to hospital. So, he was taken to court and tried for unearthing his mom's coffin. He was released, initially, but as the investigation goes on, he may be charged with desecration of a grave.
Hopefully, there is some leniency with the grieving son. Losing a family member can be a harrowing experience, and can lead people to act rashly. However, stealing a grave is the limit.
