Lafayette, Colorado — Families who have owned burial plots at the Lafayette Cemetery for decades are searching for answers after city officials revealed that many plots believed to be vacant may already contain human remains, raising painful questions about future burial plans.
The issue has affected hundreds of plot owners, many of whom purchased family burial spaces years ago believing they would one day be laid to rest beside loved ones.
Among them is Jim Ortega, who said he has spent more than 40 years believing he would eventually be buried next to his parents.
“It says Ortega, ‘together forever,'” Ortega said while describing his father’s gravestone. “That’s what my father wanted. He wanted me to be buried with him.”
Unexpected Discovery Exposed Long-Standing Cemetery Problem
The controversy began in September 2025, when city workers unexpectedly uncovered human remains while digging what historical records identified as an unused burial plot.
That discovery prompted a broader investigation into Lafayette Cemetery’s records, which city officials say stretch back more than 150 years.
According to the city, inconsistent documentation from the late 1800s and early 1900s left numerous burials either poorly recorded or completely undocumented.
City Councilor Kyle Bollier said the cemetery’s long history has made it difficult to determine which plots remain available today.
“The main underlying problem is that this is a historical cemetery with haphazard record-keeping going back 150 years,” Bollier said. “So, in the early 1900s there were numerous folks buried without proper record keeping.”
Officials now believe the cemetery is far more full than historical records originally indicated.
Families Given Four Burial Options
In response to the discovery, the Lafayette City Council approved a resolution outlining four options for people who still own burial plots at the city-owned cemetery.
Under the plan, plot owners can:
- Sell their burial plot back to the city for $3,500.
- Transfer to Coal Creek Cemetery in Louisville.
- Choose cremation and burial.
- Attempt a traditional casket burial if the plot appears available, while selecting a backup burial option if previously unknown remains are discovered.
If excavation uncovers human remains during a planned burial, officials say work would stop immediately and the family’s pre-selected alternative option would be used.
“We absolutely want to make that happen,” Bollier said of traditional burials when possible. “Again, unfortunately, if when we dig after someone passes, if we encounter other remains, we have to respect those.”
The city also plans to have an independent observer present during future burials to help ensure transparency throughout the process.
Families Say They Want More Answers Before Deciding
Several residents urged city leaders to postpone approving the resolution, arguing that additional research should be completed before families are asked to make permanent decisions about burial arrangements.
Ortega said city officials informed him that ground-penetrating radar detected something beneath or near his family’s burial plots, but the technology could not determine exactly what was underground.
“They just said the radar says there’s something there,” Ortega said.
Bollier explained that ground-penetrating radar is currently the least invasive method available, adding that excavating the entire cemetery to verify every burial would disturb existing graves.
“You could physically hand dig 5 acres, but you would desecrate all of these many graves, and so we’re not going to do that,” Bollier said.
For Ortega, the uncertainty has become deeply personal.
“It breaks my heart,” Ortega said. “I’m not sleeping at night because of this. We just want answers. I just want the truth.”
City officials are asking plot owners to contact Lafayette by Oct. 31 to discuss their preferred burial option and complete the required agreements by Jan. 31, 2027, while staff continue meeting individually with affected families.
If you discovered your family’s burial plot might already contain unknown remains, what would you want local officials to do next? Share your thoughts respectfully in the comments below.
