by Debbie Burke
Today’s true crime case is a real head scratcher. It involves a missing father and son and burial records that disappeared from a cemetery in my hometown of Kalispell, Montana.
Founded in 1903, Conrad Cemetery is the final resting place for early settlers in the Flathead Valley and continues to serve the area to the present day. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Greek Revival-style monuments rest on 104 acres of rolling hillsides that overlook the city of Kalispell. Orange lichen adds patina to granite and marble headstones from the early 1900s.
The cemetery has more than 18,000 burial sites. Every Memorial Day and Veterans Day, flags decorate the lush green grounds. Ceremonies commemorate sacrifices by members of the armed services. A number of my veteran friends are buried there including Fred Salter.
For decades, a sextant named James “Jim” Korn, now in his 90s, has overseen management of all records and groundskeeping. Many families whom he assisted consider him a trusted friend. He is a walking encyclopedia of history, names, dates, legends, and lore.
Jim lived on the cemetery grounds in a quaint yellow cottage with records stored on the lower level. When he began to have medical problems, his son Kevin was hired to assist with the job until a replacement sextant could be found.
Then, keys went missing. The only keys were traced to Jim and Kevin. The keys were returned but the cemetery board of directors became suspicious.
In June 2025, a board member and maintenance workers discovered the cemetery office had been ransacked.
Jim and Kevin were nowhere to be found.
Also missing were computers, phones, printers, backup thumb drives, and boxes of index cards that recorded gravesite purchases. Their value exceeds $2500.
The last contact was an email later in June purportedly from Jim, saying he would respond to the board’s questions after talking with his attorney.
According to the Daily Inter Lake newspaper, in August the cemetery board filed a civil lawsuit against the Korns for taking the records and demanded their return.
The whereabouts of the Korns remains unknown. The records are still missing.
With no way of knowing which gravesites had already been sold, the cemetery can’t sell new sites, which stymies ongoing operations. Worse, mourning families have had to delay funerals or find other cemeteries.
Hundreds of local residents have come forward, offering their personal family records to help recreate the missing documents.
The strange incident raises two big questions:
- Where are Jim and Kevin Korn?
- Why steal records that have no value except for cemetery operations?
Given Jim’s good reputation, people are concerned for the wellbeing of the man in his 90s. Is he alive?
What motivation is behind the theft? Did the thief plan to hold records hostage hoping to extort money for their return? Is there a personal grudge involved?
Until the Korns are located, or the records are returned, the crime remains unsolved and speculation will continue.
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TKZers: What do you make of this mysterious crime? Can you think of other possible motives?
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What a strange crime, Debbie. Could they be reselling occupied burial sites online?
That’s a possibility, Sue. But that should be traceable.
Another odd aspect is this is being treated as a civil matter rather than a crime. Clearly there’s more going on than is being reported.
I wonder if the son is covering up something the father did or didn’t do to protect him. Is it conceivable that as he aged he didn’t do paperwork that had to be done by law? Did he handle money? I assume they’re able to review any accounting records that might be out of whack. That’s a dozy of a mind-bender, but a story that’s itching to be someone’s cozy mystery . . . . Is he alive or did the son bury him under one of the existing graves to cover up his murder . . . Maybe he’s buried right under their noses!
Kelly, both your ideas are possible. One motive could be laudable, the other not at all.
One thing for sure: you’re a great one to write that cozy mystery!
I wonder if money is somehow involved. Were there kickbacks? Secret deals? When the sexton got older, did his record keeping decline?
Thanks for a real puzzler, and let TKZ know if it’s solved.
Yup, Elaine, money is usually at the root of most evils.
If I learn more, I’ll do an update.
Wednesday was the 240th birthday of Constantine Rafinesque, professor at Transylvania University. He was “a character”. He discovered a long eared vampire bat, the Rafinesque bat. He also may have been sleeping with the University President’s wife. That can get you fired. When Rafinesque left campus, he cursed the school stating bad luck would befall it if he was not on campus. In the next 10 years they had several fires and a cholera outbreak. Transylvania tried to get him back. It didn’t work. Rafinesque died in Philadelphia and was buried there. A few years later, Transylvania sent a team to return Rafinesque’s body to campus. He was buried under the Administration Building. You can see the tomb if you visit the campus.
Time marches on. About 15 years ago some students ran DNA tests on the body in the tomb. It was not the body of a French born white male. It was a Native American female.
So what did the Korns really bury?
Alan, I remember reading about the Transylvania University case, maybe from you? That plot is thicker than overcooked tapioca. DNA sure messes up a lot of old “solved” cases.
Elaine Viets incorporated the story in Dead of Night. Oldest child enjoyed getting to pick the victim.
That’s where I remember it from. Thanks, Alan!
My favorite DNA story was about what was known as “The Southside Rapist.” St. Louis police thought he was the guy but couldn’t prove it. They picked him up telling him he was a suspect in a string of robberies. Then they told him a DNA swab could clear him of the robberies. Turns out he didn’t do the robberies. He did do about a dozen rapes.
Nominate that guy for the Deum Criminal Prize.
In other crime news, the media has been surprisingly quiet about the jewel heist at the Louvre and a second French museum in Londre. Both involved Napoleonic era jewels and coins. Personally, I’m guessing someone very, very rich in Russia or the Middle East is sponsoring the heists. Here’s a really good 20 minute report on it. The same channel also does a short on the Londre heist.
https://youtu.be/3jijP4l2tHU?si=TVYDN0NLFberJUYT
What incredible security lapses, Marilynn. No CCTV, no bars on the windows, Whoever’s behind it may be rich enough to be insulated and arrogant enough to have done it for bragging rights.
I doubt someone who has spent their life so proud of what they are doing for their community was up to no good. One sign of dementia is paranoia about people stealing things. My own guess is that the old man took the records and hid them, and the son is trying to protect him while trying to figure out where everything is.
Marilynn, that could certainly explain why this is being treated as a civil matter rather than a criminal case.
Wow, Debbie! What a mess…especially for the families involved.
Personally, I don’t have a clue or even a guess as to what’s up there in your neck of the woods.
If you (or any other TKZers) discover the truth, please pass it on.
Have a great day!
Deb, this is definitely unsettling for families already going through a tough time. Hope they can sort it out.
A lovely fall day to you!
What a story! Sad and disturbing.
I can think of lots of scenarios for the disappearance. Let us know how it all turns out.
I certainly will report any new developments, Kay. But this may well be a story where we’ll never learn the end
What an odd story! I’ll be curious to hear if you ever learn of a resolution to the mystery.
Will keep you posted, Brenda.