Major developments in a story NewsChannel 5 On Your Side has been investigating for nearly two years.
A historic St. Louis County cemetery plagued with problems is close to being sold.
It's part of a settlement in a lawsuit Missouri's Attorney General filed against the owner of Oak Grove Cemetery.
It's a final resting place in a constant state of unrest, from toppled headstones and mounds of dirt, to overgrown grass and crumbling roads..
"During my brother's funeral, my wife fell in a sinkhole," said Chase Maune, who has two brothers at Oak Grove Cemetery.
Coming is hard enough, but the conditions make it worse.
"The visits become a lot harder emotionally," he said. "I don't understand how this has gone on for so long."
But now, there is hope for Maune and the many other families who have been complaining for years about the poor conditions.
NewsChannel 5 On Your Side confirms the attorney general's office is contacting families with news of a settlement to end a lawsuit the office filed against Oak Grove's Owner Marilyn Stanza.
Under the terms of the legally-binding agreement, Stanza will loose her cemetery license, sell the cemetery and mausoleum and give back nearly 130 thousand dollars of the proceeds to be used for repairs.
It's a drop in the bucket, considering the condition of the mausoleum.
"During my last visit there was water on the floor," said Maune. "Also, there were birds inside of the mauseleum and there was no working lighting."
Attorney General Chris Koster filed the suit last year after numerous complaints including the bad conditions and delays in delivering purchased burial markers.
Meanwhile, Maune hopes will soon be a part of Oak Grove's past.
"I'm a little excited, you know, to see what the future holds," he said.
NewsChannel 5 on Your Side's Mike Rush confirmed longtime local Funeral Director William Harris intends to buy Oak Grove, but it's not a done deal, he says.
He's still working on securing the loan, and hopes to close by the end of the month.
Harris says if the sale goes through, he plans to use Stanza's settlement money and much of his own to restore the neglected cemetery.
