In a shocking turn of events, a gravedigger in West Virginia has found himself at the center of a disturbing incident that occurred at Baylous Cemetery in Salt Rock. On March 27, 2023, 49-year-old Matthew Fortner was reportedly digging a plot for a new grave when he allegedly unearthed a casket that had been buried for over 40 years. The casket contained the remains of an infant, buried back in 1982, according to authorities from the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office, as reported by WOWKTV.

The situation escalated dramatically when Fortner is said to have rolled the baby’s coffin down a hillside. Eyewitnesses, a couple who were at the cemetery to decorate gravestones in preparation for Easter, were horrified to witness the casket tumbling down the slope. As it rolled, the lid of the coffin flew open, causing the skeletal remains to be flung out. This macabre scene prompted the couple to immediately contact the sheriff’s office.

Cabell County Sheriff Doug Adams expressed his outrage over the incident, stating, “It takes a sick individual, in my opinion, to desecrate a grave and mess with a corpse — period.” In the wake of these shocking revelations, Fortner was arrested the following Wednesday. He now faces multiple charges, including disinterment or displacement of a dead body, damage to a cemetery or graveyard, and violating laws concerning the protection of human skeletal remains. Reports indicate that he is being held on a substantial bond of $105,000 and could potentially face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Authorities have confirmed that the grave of the young child, believed to be just months old at the time of burial, was the only one found to be disturbed at Baylous Cemetery. The name of the child has not been publicly released. Sheriff Adams reassured the community that this incident appears to be isolated, stating, “We do think this is an isolated incident. We don’t think it is going to be a trend or anything.”

Interestingly, this is not Fortner’s first brush with the law. He was previously convicted of murder in 1997, receiving a life sentence with the possibility of mercy, before being released in 2008. This troubling background adds another layer of complexity to this already unsettling case.

The remains of the child have been taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston for further examination.