NYCLU Sues to Allow Families to Visit the Gravesites of their Loved Ones on Hart Island - December 3, 2014
Plaintiff Michelle Catherine Caner wishes to visit the Hart Island gravesite of her father, an aerospace engineer who became estranged from his family and friends after struggles with substance abuse. He was buried on Hart Island after dying homeless and alone four years ago. Caner was unable to say goodbye to him during his lifetime but wants to reconnect with him in his death. But she believes any attempt to visit the island would be meaningless unless she is permitted to visit her father’s actual gravesite to properly mourn him.