By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
It appears the fight over exhuming John Dillinger’s gravesite is over.
Michael Thompson, the nephew of the 1930s American gangster, has withdrawn his lawsuit seeking permission from an Indianapolis cemetery to exhume Dillinger’s gravesite to determine if he’s actually buried there, RTV-6 reports.
Thompson believes he may have evidence that his bank-robbing uncle was not fatally shot by the FBI at a theater in Chicago in 1934. The FBI disputes those claims as fantasy.
Thompson’s plans were thwarted by Crown Hill Cemetery, which refused to give him permission to exhume the body.
Marion County Superior Court Judge Timothy Oakes dismissed the lawsuit in December, saying state law requires a cemetery’s consent to exhume a body.
“The limited question before the Court today is whether disinterment may occur under this section of the statute without cemetery approval. Court finds that the statutory requirements for this section of the statute are clear in that disinterment requires the cemetery owner to give consent before disinterment may occur,” Oakes wrote.
The judge, however, gave Thompson an opportunity to amend the suit, but he has not.
Crown Hill Cemetery released the following statement:
Crown Hill objects to the exhumation of John Dillinger. We have a duty to the families we serve to ensure the safety and integrity of the Cemetery which is threatened by the proposed exhumation. We also have concerns that the complex and commercial nature of this exhumation could cause disruption to the peaceful tranquility of the Cemetery and those who are visiting to remember their loved ones. Additionally, we received notice that not all of Mr. Dillinger’s next of kin agree with the exhumation. We honor the trust placed in us to protect all individuals in our care, and to protect the interests of those who cannot speak for themselves.
