CEMETERY OWNER'S BODY FOUND ON GROUNDS.Byline: EUGENE TONG Staff Writer GLENDALE -- Marsha Lee Howard, the embattled owner of Grand View Memorial Park, was found dead Saturday in her home on the cemetery's grounds, police said. Cemetery employees discovered Howard's body about 10:30 a.m., police spokesman John Balian said. The house had no water or electricity since the cemetery's owners failed to make payments to the city several months ago. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County coroner's officials are determining the cause of death, though there were no immediate signs of foul play foul play n. Unfair or treacherous action, especially when involving violence. foul play Noun 1. violent activity esp. murder 2. , Balian said. Howard's death shocked attorneys and plaintiffs with grave sites or loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl interred at 1341 Glenwood Road who are trying to resolve a financial quagmire that has left the 25-acre cemetery brown and tattered tat·tered adj. 1. Torn into shreds; ragged. 2. Having ragged clothes; dressed in tatters. 3. a. Shabby or dilapidated. b. Disordered or disrupted. and open just four hours a week. The noon-4 p.m. visiting hours visiting hours Noun, pl the times when visitors are allowed to see someone in a hospital or other institution: many prisoners' wives complain about the short visiting hours visiting hours organized by the city were expected to continue today, Balian said. ``I didn't see it coming,'' said Mary Der-Parseghian, an attorney representing dozens of plaintiffs in a civil case against Grand View's owners. Attorneys for Howard and cemetery operator Moshe Goldsman did not return calls for comment. Howard, 58, was licensed to operate the cemetery -- the final resting place for actors Chill Wills and Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. G. Carroll -- Jan. 3, 1999. But she came under state investigation for alleged financial mismanagement Financial mismanagement is management that, deliberately or not, is handled in a way that can be characterised as "wrong, bad, careless, inefficient or incompetent" and that will reflect negatively upon the financial standing of a business or individual. , reselling of graves and mishandling remains about a year ago after the Department of Consumer Affairs discovered the cremated ashes of some 4,000 people -- some dating to the 1930s -- abandoned in storage rooms, trash bins and spilled on floors. State officials halted the cemetery operation and new burials, and filed six felony charges against Howard. But prosecutors dismissed criminal charges in May, citing the need for further investigation. eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com (818) 546-3304 |
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