Graver's Journal

Shanna Riley May 8th, 2011

It was a Tuesday, the 15^th, a day like any other in the middle of June in the year 2010 when a phone call shattered a family’s life.

That call was to the Clark family and their world crumbled to learn that their beautiful daughter had taken her own life.  Tori Lynn Clark – only 33 years of age and a young mother – had chosen to end her personal suffering that summer day in Graniteville, VT.   Ironically, she worked as a mental health professional but, in the end, Tori was unable to save herself from her own mental problems; which her mother says she suffered with for years.  Sadly, suicide is a high risk and common end result for people with mental illness issues.

Her parents, Michael and Patty Clark, chose to have her remains cremated and a graveside service was held for her on June 21, 2010 at Maple Hill Cemetery.  Her former fiancé, Gene Sargeant, whom she had broken up with a month prior to her death, and who was the father of her young son, Tyler (age 11), attended the services.  After the service he was given some of her ashes.

States mother Patty Clark, “I guess that wasn’t enough.”

The Clarks ordered a headstone for their daughter’s grave, choosing to have dolphins – which Tori loved – carved into the granite on either side of her name.  They visited the gravesite often to pray with Tori and did their best to pick up the pieces of their life and move on.

It was in September that their world was turned upside down once more.  Father Michael Clark received a strange, anonymous email telling him that “something was wrong” with his daughter’s grave.  The email suggested that the family should have Tori’s grave dug up so they could see for themselves.

Concerned and horrified, the Clarks contacted State Police.  The gravesite was exhumed and police returned to the Clark residence to notify them that their daughter’s remains had been stolen.

“She was taken from us twice; by death, and by being dug up and taken again,” Patty Clark told local news stations that picked up the story.

On September 2, 2010, Vermont State Police began their investigation and on April 20, 2011, they picked up Tori’s 30 year-old former fiancé, Gene Sargeant, and a friend, David Mares, and charged them with desecrating her grave, officially “unauthorized removal of human remains”.  The charge, in the state of Vermont, is a felony and “carries a penalty of imprisonment of not more than 15 years or a fine of not more than $10,000 or both” (more info here).

A few weeks later, on the 28^th, two more people were arrested in connection with the crime:  22 year-old Rosalee Moodie and 32 year-old Melissa Estivil were brought in as accessories to the original crime.

No word yet on why Gene Sargeant felt the need to dig up the remains of the mother of his child and ex-fianceé or why he employed the help of the other three people.  The sender of the anonymous email to the Clark family also remains a mystery.

Sadly, Tori’s ashes have yet to be recovered.

Crossposted at Tumblr...

Tags: ashes stolen, cremation, david mares, gene sargeant, graniteville vt, grave desecration, grave robbing, maple hill cemetery, melissa estivil, melissa sue estivil, michael clark, michael i. clark, patty clark, rosalee maria moodie, rosalee moodie, stolen remains, suicide death, tori clark, tori lynn clark, vermont, vermont cemeteries, vermont state police

• Desecration
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