Letter Received today from yet another disappointed loved one

(I have made a commitment to not release anyone's name without permission, but I feel it is so important to share these stories with everyone so that they can understand how WIDE SPREAD this issues truly is...)

Dear Miranda,

My brother who has been estranged from the family for about 10 or more years died on Feb 2, 2013 and was buried on Feb 23, 2013  at White Tanks. The Abel Funeral Director told me it was a well cared for cemetery. Then I saw the photos today.

I contacted the Maricopa County Burial Dept. to ask for the location of his burial site. I have yet to get called back.

I would like to have a death  certificate. I filled out the application on line. I sent a photo of my passport, a notarized signature, and a copy of my Dad's obituary who has the same name as my brother and names him as his son and me as a sister. All documents were returned to me today saying I haven't given them enough documentation. 

This p.m. I received your site with stories of so many people who want to bring their loved ones home and SHOULD BE allowed to do it. We do not know how many are buried on top of one another. One witness says that a cement slab is put on top of the "casket". This should be stopped at once. I am sure the politicians do not know this. Letters should be written in the local newspapers and a local TV program should be advised....maybe CNN would like the storry.There is no justice and I am going to bring my brother home no matter what!

White Tanks Angels Foundation Facebook Page

Hey everyone, I just wanted to all let you know that I have started a page on Facebook for the White Tanks Angels Foundation. I am hoping that all of you will go to the group page and join! If you don't necessary want to be publicly affiliated with the foundation, you could also add me personally as a friend on facebook.
Just make sure when you send me an add friend request, that you give me a little note that says you are from my White Tanks Blog.

White Tanks Angels Foundation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/463365900408581/
My personal profile site on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/miranda.skinn

I hope that you will join me one way or another!  Social media is an excellent way to get information out. It can be shared with so many people so quickly!

Also, there are multiple photos of the services and cemetery on the facebook group page of White Tanks  Hopefully these pictures will provide a little comfort to those seeking answers. Seeing the series of photos is almost like being there for a loved ones service from beginning to end. Every burial and service performed is done so in the same manner. They wanted every person treated equally out there, hence, why there is no private markers allowed.

To view the pictures visit the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/463365900408581/photos/

Thank you and God Bless,   Miranda Rhuda

Letter Received About White Tanks Cemetery

I am so saddened to hear your story. I can't imagine what it felt like to find your mother's obituary like that. Nothing I do can undo how her life story went, but  I hope you can find some small piece of comfort knowing that your mother is and will continue to be more than a one line obituary.

I go to White Tanks Cemetery often. Every soul resting there is important to me and has a special place in my heart. The stories of the people laid to rest there are often sad and tragic, if the person's name is even known at all. I walk up and down the rows, saying each name I pass aloud and cherishing the the fact that they were, and still are, a part of all our lives. I feel that everyone on this planet is a part of one family. Every life is valid and special to me.

As I have done with Miranda's mom, I will visit your mother's place each time I go. I leave little trinkets or flowers or sketch things in the dirt, hearts and symbols etc, just to leave some love. Miranda told me about her mother, how she was creative and liked home-made things and I do my best to honor and celebrate that each time I visit. I try to take pictures each time and email them, but very often my phone won't take the pictures or they won't email or upload. For some reason electronics just don't function well out there.

I attached a pretty recent picture of the rose fields that stretch for miles just on the other side of the dirt road from the cemetery. It really is a beautiful place. Heart breaking and still, but it has a quiet beauty that I have never seen anywhere else.

If you can't find her plot number I can look for her based on the date she passed. Burials are done one next to the other so knowing the date will narrow my search area down considerably. I will keep your mom's love of dogs in mind. Please feel free to tell me anything about her.

There are other's who understand the circumstances of White Tanks Cemetery. Some by choice, others by circumstance. I'm sure you know all the burials are done by prison inmates. From what I have heard the program is life changing for those chosen to participate. It's humbling and real and has a profound effect on the prisoners. They stand in place of loved ones and say a prayer with a minister for each burial. Once a year a church group gathers at the cemetery and has a ceremony where the name of each person buried that year is read aloud and a flower placed on their grave. As I said before, I tried to take pictures of all the flowers placed around, but my camera wouldn't have it. 

I will go out to the cemetery next week and do my best to locate your mom and send some pictures, for you as well Miranda. If either of you have something special you would like me to do please don't hesitate to ask. Any bit of peace a I can offer another person brings peace to me as well.

First Volunteer for White Tanks Angels

I would like to take a moment to highlight and thank one of our White Tanks Angels.
Volunteer, Tawsha Mincheski-Craft of Litchfield Park, AZ.

Sun, Feb 20, 2011

I received an e-mail at my AOL account. Subject: Joyce Darlene Patterson - White Tanks Cemetery. The message read as follows:

"Hi, my name is Tawsha. I was doing some searching on the internet about the White Tanks Cemetery,  which I visit often. I used to live near by and always felt a pull to go there and remember some of the "forgotten". I know the history of the cemetery, how they are buried there and why. 

First, I want to tell you that I think the cemetery is peaceful and beautiful. AZ isn't a lush green hillside, but this cemetery is not as bad as you were lead to believe. There is heartache there, unknown tragedy. But please know these people laid to rest here are not forgotten castaways. There are those of us that know the story and go there with love, compassion and honor to all who rest there. 

If it is okay with you, I would like to visit your mothers plot and care for it in your, and her, honor. If you wold like to tell me about her, I can place some things, flowers, candles, etc where she rests that are meaningful to you and her. While there are not private markers there are many places that have been adorned by those that love and miss their friends and family. I can make something for her with her name on it if you would like.

I have always felt the people at White Tanks Cemetery need some love and attention and if it's okay with you, I would like to express some of this to your mother."
 
I hope my email finds you and finds you well,
-- Tawsha --

I was so blown away by her kindness when I read this e-mail. Her words were comforting to hear and to know that someone would be able to visit my mother's grave and tend to it, in my place, made me feel so much better! My reply was as follows:

"Tawsha,

Your email has touched me very deeply. I would absolutely be indebted to you forever if you would see to my mother's grave for me. I could not want anything more! I am running out the door right now, but I will definitely write more to you about her... she was a very crafty person and would love to have homemade stuff placed there. It would make her smile. Thank you so very much and I am relieved to hear your story."

The next e-mail that I received was from her on THANKSGIVING DAY! And I can tell you that Holidays have always been the hardest for me. I used to spend my Holidays with my mother for visitation. The fact that she sent these on Thanksgiving, made the pain of the Holiday away from my mom, more bearable!

"Hello there, Just wanted to send you some pictures of your mother's resting place. I wish I could take credit for the lovely marker, but it was done by a friend of mine. I wanted to let you know, and assure you, that you have at least two people caring for and tending to your mother and her place. 

The other pictures are of the rose field right outside the cemetery. They are all just about to bloom, miles of roses surrounded by fields of crops and wild Arizona flowers and plants. The zoo is nearby and ducks and other critters fly by and rest in the trees. Very near the White Tank mountains. 

The cemetery is very misunderstood, it's quite beautiful, peaceful, unassuming. There is a church group that gathers there every Thanksgiving to read the names and say a blessing for the people who passed each year and were buried there. Today the cemetery was covered in red and pink carnations, sending some love to the people who have passed. This is not a place that is forgotten. Quiet and private, but not forgotten.

Much love to you and your family.Happy Thanksgiving!"

-- Tawsha --

I was already so touched by her kindness... but when she sent me the pictures, it was a whole new level of touched!  One of the things that I had spoke about in my blog was the fact that it bothered me that there are no private markers allowed at the cemetery. I really hated the fact that nowhere on her grave site did it state that she WAS LOVED and CLAIMED by someone... that really irked me. And I felt that because she was a good mother to me, despite her alcoholism and mental illness, that she deserved to be recognized as such. And when Tawsha sent me the photos of my mother's grave site, this is what I saw...

Tawsha, I can NOT thank you enough for what you have done. And while you have stated that it was not you, but a friend of yours who did the stone... please tell them that my deepest gratitude is offered. And to you as well... if it was not for you and your compassion and interest in the cemetery and my mother's story, she would still just be a brass marker with a name there. Everything that you have done, means so much to me.

And now, she had formally accepted the invite to become a permanent, official, volunteer for the White Tanks Angels Foundation. This week, she has accepted an e-mail request by another family with a mother buried at White Tanks. This woman, like me, also lives outside of the state of Arizona and can not be there to tend to her mother's grave site or even lay flowers as a matter of respect.

Tawsha, it is truly amazing that you will take time out of your own life to serve those of us around you who are in need. God has declared that there are angels among us that he sends to watch over us and YOU are one of God's Angels and White Tanks Angels! You deserve some kind of reward for your empathy and compassion! Thank you Lord for blessing us and our foundation with Tawsha Craft! I hope that we can find many many more.

Please take a moment to thank her and provide her with some words of encouragement also by emailing her at tawshacraft@hotmail.com 

Philanthropy at it's best! Donate in Honor of Joyce Darlene Patterson!

My mother loved to read. She taught me to read before I started Kindergarten. I remember her reading books to me quite frequently. She taught me how to cook, bake and sew. When she didn’t have a car, she would walk me half-way across town to buy me a paint-by-number or other craft activity kit with her last couple of dollars. She was fun and silly. She used to sit next to me at bedtime and pet my face for me until I could fall asleep.

I remember my mother being a very kind, sincere and compassionate woman. She was moved by other people’s emotions. Many said she was just too sensitive or ridiculous, but I am the same way! She wanted to help others so bad, so she attempted to go to nursing school; but, she got kicked out of the program because she was breaking the rules of the facility by allowing the patients to do various things not allowed, just to make them more comfortable.

Due to remembering my mother in this light, I feel that I NEED to honor her life and existence by completing something GREAT for others IN HER NAME.  She was always doing kind things for other people, helping them out and such. So, by me creating a foundation of charity as a result of her death, I feel that she would be very pleased and proud!  If nothing else good came from her life due to her struggle with mental illness, I can at least allow for something good to come from her death and the awful circumstances in which she passed on (alone and disassociated).

A friend of mine, Jeffrey Knapp, has already started an organization in my mother's name. It is KIVA Lending and it gives small business loans to people both here in the United States and in third world for business start-up funding and capitol. The entire organization is run and funded by volunteers. Volunteers can log on to the site, check out the various lending situations and choose one they feel compelled to support! It is a great charity organization that supports the independence of women worldwide. My mom, I think, would definitely like the idea of this!  Please, take a peek at it and see what you think. You never know, maybe YOU could use a small loan to help with something!  http://www.kiva.org/team/jdp

I originally tried to sort everything out with my mother's circumstance, but it was really too hard for me to barrel through all of the disappointments and emotions that came with it. But now that I have been able to spend some time processing it all and working through it, I am hoping that I will have what it takes see these efforts through to the end!

All I need is some determination, focus, desire and support from friends and fellow philanthropists!

Thank you for your encouragement and kind words!

God Bless to all of you,

Miranda Rhuda

White Tanks Angels Foundation

The “White Tanks Angels” Foundation

My name is Miranda Rhuda, in recent years I found that my mother had passed (after a 12 year search) and was placed in the ground at White Tanks Cemetery, Goodyear, Arizona. I am from Ohio. Due to financial strains and being a mother of 3 small children, I am unable to travel to Arizona to visit my mother’s grave. My story has been published by various News organizations, online bloggers, etc… And I have had many people, what I believe are God’s angels or Good Samaritans, that have stepped up and offered to visit my mother’s grave for me. Some people have offered to tend to it permanently. I was upset that my mother was only recognized by a brass marker in the ground with her date of death on it. Those markers do signify in any way, or give recognition to, the fact that Joyce Patterson who died March 1, 2007 was a MOTHER, SISTER, DAUGHTER, GRANDMOTHER, etc…  For whatever reason, the cemetery has a sign that says NO PRIVATE MARKERS allowed. But, someone who read my story, cared enough that they purchased a stone for my mother’s grave that says MOTHER. This act of kindness made a world’s difference for me. The only thing that has gotten me through the awful journey of my mother’s life and death is the kindness of complete strangers offered to me time and time again. I have always believe in God, but after experiencing this journey, I know without a doubt in my mind that the Lord has provided me with Angels that have comforted me, offered peace and closure along the way.

Through my journey, I have met and come across many people who have reached out to me that also have loved ones at White Tanks. They have the same concerns that I do of not being able to visit or care for their loved ones grave site. So, from all the way up in Ohio, I am reaching out to those who have volunteered to help me, churches already involved at White Tanks and any other individuals interested in staffing a volunteer organization that will assist these out of range loved ones with gaining some closure and comfort.

What Will the White Tanks Angels Foundation Volunteers Do?

Upon request of family members, volunteers will be asked to purchase specific items that are of a personal nature to the deceased and visit their grave to place these objects.  Funds will be provided by the family or foundation as needed if the volunteer cannot. We will ask that pictures or video be taken by the volunteer while tending to the grave and leaving them there on behalf of the family/friends of the deceased. Pictures should then be sent to the family via e-mail. The pictures being sent to the family allows them to feel (at least somewhat) like they were able to be there. It provides confirmation that it has been done and gives them peace of mind in seeing that there is more there than just a plain brass marker there. For many of us with loved ones at White Tanks, we were never able to say goodbye to our loved ones. Living with the guilt of being disassociated from your family is hard enough, then to compound that with the thought of the person dying alone; it makes the grieving process almost unbearable. Being able to have someone visit on their behalf to speak a few words from them and leaving something sentimental can give at least a little remedy to the guilt they are plagued with.

How Can I Get Involved? What Can I Do to Help?

If you are interested in volunteering, want more information or need these services, please send an email request to Miranda Rhuda at cleaning44870@gmail.com  Subject line: White Tanks  or you can send a text to 419-602-7147

LOST But NOT FORGOTTEN

Lost But Not Forgotten

Far too often in life, for various reasons, families are split apart. Loved ones are separated from their families and live alone, secluded, away from everyone. Yes, it is true that many of these individuals often choose to live this way; however, many times the loved ones that they leave behind do not feel the same. How many times in life do we get into fights with people and say things that we really don’t mean? It happens all the time. But for some people, these kinds of spats happen and the next thing they know, the other party has vanished for good.  There is nothing more hurtful in the world than to have a disagreement with someone and never have the ability to reconcile with them.

Mental illness and substance abuse are some of the biggest causes of these types of situations. So many families have given up, after multiple tries, to get their family member sober. And so many times, family will attempt to intervene in getting someone mental health assistance, but for various reasons, some unknown, it is unsuccessful. These people who are victims of substance abuse or mental illness are LOST. They are lost in life, stuck in a world that just continues to devour them. They are no happier than those trying to help them futilely. Sometimes, there is just no easy way out for these people. And after years go by, each member of the family has tried to help and has given up. When there is no one left to help, what then? What do the LOST do when there is no one left to stand with them?

Cases such as these happen all the time. In my own life journey, trying to chase down and locate my mother who was an alcoholic AND suffered from severe mental illness (dissociative identity disorder and others)—I have come across many others with the same types of stories. There are so many people who have a family member who has either detached themselves or has been disowned from the rest of the family. And most of the time, the person who isolates themselves or leaves from being disowned, actually still has family or friends somewhere who still care. It leaves a huge hole in the hearts of those who care for these people and they spend their lives trying to find some way to fix it.

Many of the homeless individuals that you see in our country are from situations and families just like these. And I can bet you that more than half of those homeless, have someone somewhere, who is thinking of them and wishing they knew how to fix it. But when an adult member of society decides that they no longer want to be found, they are entitled to do that. It is sad. Very Sad. Something needs to be done to remedy some of the situation. There are so many unnecessary broken hearts in our country that could be mended with a little extra care and work to help find those that are “LOST”. Many families have no idea how they would even attempt to find someone voluntarily “lost” in such a big place. So it is my goal, to try and do what I can, to attempt to help those people.

When explosive disagreements happen or family life is less than perfect, it often leaves individuals feeling unloved, like no one cares about them anymore.  But there are very few people that you can talk to that will tell you they are 100% able to write anyone off for good. The LOST feel that there is no one left to love them, which in fact is usually not the case. Someone cares and wonders where they are…

Many of us, unfortunately, have experienced having someone LOST and are not at the point in the road where they are deceased. Finding out that they died alone, you had no attempts to reconcile or declare your feelings, and that you were never able to say goodbye or give one last offering of love at a funeral or memorial service is really hard. It will leave a scar in your heart forever.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this. I have tried to run every scenario through my mind that could possibly offer assistance in this matter. I have come up with a couple of possibilities that I think might help, IF I can gather and rally up enough of the RIGHT volunteers for it. There are many people who volunteer and are advocates for the homeless; I am hoping that some of those people will come forward to help. If you know anyone, are interested in helping yourself or might be able to point me in the right direction, please let me know by sending me an email at cleaning44870@gmail.com

My vision of possible solutions for these matters:

1.      Create a website (a database of sorts) that will allow families and/or individuals to post about their LOST loved ones. Or allow the LOST to post about themself and their family. Anyone with information about someone who is known to be detached from their family elsewhere, can post to this website. (It will most likely be people who know there is distress about the family detachment.)

It is my hopes that in doing this, those that are LOST may find someone is looking for them; And for the friend/family of the LOST, may be able to find their loved one by matching their criteria to that of possible homeless, mentally ill or other individuals submitted.

2.      Create an organization that is free of charge, that uses services and resources similar to private detectives, that can assist in researching individuals who are estranged from their families. Volunteers who can write down the case information for the person submitted, get family information, background, etc… to use to search in particular locations by notifying homeless, health and public enforcement agencies. We need a staff of people who can spread the word about someone being sought after. If you have an adult who is “missing” from your life, but does not meet the criteria to be officially listed as “MISSING”—you can notify the law enforcement in their suspected area of residence, so that the police can inform the individual that they are being inquired about.

If I am the administrator of the website, then when family members or friends post about someone who is possibly homeless or has mental illness concerns, I can use that information to research and notify possible agencies/areas about that individual and the family/friend seeking them. Someone has to be the one to reach out and notify these people that they are being sought after. Some of them may choose to remain detached; if that is the case then at least we can notify the family that the person is alive and well. Some of them who are notified may discover that they were not forgotten and might just find their way home! Law enforcement has their hands tied when it comes to missing adults because they are only allowed to do so much. They have to respect the rights of the individual. They also do not have the time, manpower or funds to spend searching for adults who “went missing on their own free will”. So I feel that I need to create a service that will fill in that gap. I have been there and had to find out the hard way what resources were available to me, etc… I want to be able to help others in finding and using those resources more quickly and efficiently.

If there was someone who could take the time to help find my mom in previous years, when I could not get the police to help me, then I may have been able to reconcile with her. I was only a child when she went “missing” due to family issues. When I became an adult, I was able to make my own decisions regarding my relationship with her and I wanted her to know how I felt… I wanted to try and rekindle a relationship with her. Living in another state from where she was last known located, made it very hard for me to be able to do anything as far as finding her. I needed someone to fill in the physical duties to find her, where I could not. There were people, Jeffrey Knapp especially, who stepped up and offered to help me. I hope that I can also be that person for someone else.

If I can create an accurate database that can be easily searched, I would like for it to be a research point that the public fiduciaries throughout the country can use it as a resource for finding next of kin of indigent. There is a similar website for missing persons called NAMUS that is used for identifying John or Jane Doe’s that are found. Hopefully, my site could also serve as a successful partnership with government officials. NAMUS is a similar concept as our focus is with White Tanks Cemetery. White Tanks has many brass plates that are simply marked with John Doe or Jane Doe. And those who are placed there with a name, more often than not, are individuals who have no known family or next of kin. These people are MISSING PERSONS somewhere! I have often wondered how many of those buried at White Tanks are Missing Persons who were flagged missing too late or never flagged missing at all… but are MISSED by someone!  NAMUS has a part of their website that is dedicated for the UNCLAIMED. But how often is it used and how long do the funeral homes wait for someone to be claimed?

Every person came from somewhere, where they had a life, a family and loved ones. No one should have to live completely alone and surely no one should have to die alone if it is unnecessary!

If you or someone you know has a situation that fits this posting similarly, please feel free to reach out and contact me at cleaning44870@gmail.com

Authorities Fail To Locate Next of Kin for Indigent Deceased

The following article was written and published by a Homeless Advocate, by the name of Matthew Barnes. He used to his blog and internet resources to attempt to make a plea about the situation of the authorities and the indigent by writing and publishing favorable articles. I really can not commend him enough for the beautiful and well written article that he submitted. It is is my hopes to bring attention to this article, as it states exactly what the issues at hand are and what we would like the city officials to claim responsibility for. You can help in the campaign to bring awareness to this subject by copying and posting this article and sharing it over the internet. It is my hope that I can gather together the right thoughts, feelings and words to catch the attention of reporters, in an effort to make some change! Thank you so much Matthew Barnes for your words of encouragement and support in this matter!

Authorities Fail To Locate Next of Kin for Indigent Deceased

by: Matthew Barnes

It is often assumed that homeless people have no living family or that if they do, they have given up on caring about them long ago or perhaps they never did. It is certainly true that homeless people have often become disassociated from their relatives and this can occur for many reasons. It could be that the individual has been outcast but it is also just as likely that the homeless individual feels such deep-rooted shame that they find it necessary to disassociate themselves voluntarily. No one likes to be a burden. It should therefore not be unreasonable to suppose that a significant proportion of the homeless population has someone, somewhere who is wondering where they are and what has become of them. Indeed, it is widely accepted that a large number of registered missing persons could be accounted for by those experiencing homelessness.

In early February this year, we posted an article here to aid in an appeal to locate Joyce Darlene Patterson. She was known to suffer from mental illness and had been missing from her family home for more than a decade and was believed to be homeless. Her daughter, Miranda and her family had been searching desperately ever since. It took some effort to accomplish, but Joyce was officially registered as a missing person with state authorities. Miranda kept in regular contact with authorites and feverishly pursued an internet campaign in an all-out attempt to gather information she hoped would lead to locating her mother and ensuring that she received the help that she needed. Sadly, not long after we published that article Miranda received verification that her mother had passed away almost a year earlier and had been interred at White Tanks Cemetery in Maricopa County, Arizona.

When a person dies indigent, the body is usually interred by the local authority with no frills at the cost of the taxpayer. Under these circumstances how much effort do the authorities ever really make to trace living relatives, even if only to find someone who might pick up the bill? You might think that since the city and ultimately, the taxpayer, is funding the burial that at least reasonable effort would be made. Not always the case it seems and certainly not in this particular instance.

According to the newspaper, Sandusky Register, Sergeant Bryan Chapman of the Phoenix Police Department and boss of investigating officer, Detective Eric J. Cosgriff, is quoted as claiming that the Phoenix police did all that they were required to do in finding Patterson. The newspaper also cites that Roger Conventry, a spokesperson for the Maricopa Fiduciary which is responsible for burying the indigent, claimed that caseworkers used a database to try to track down relatives and sent out letters, but those letters were either never answered or the respondents said they were not related to Patterson. How is it then that Miranda never came to be notified of her mother's death until a year or more later? It seems that a catalog of errors took place. Joyce Patterson had died at Phoenix Hospital (Banner Samaritan) but somewhere between the hospital and the funeral home that handled the burial, her date of birth and social security number were both transposed or recorded incorrectly. This apparently made tracing Joyce Patterson's next of kin difficult.

Well, not that difficult in reality. While all these caseworkers were exhausting databases and sending letters, again at the taxpayers expense, a simple google search for 'Joyce Darlene Patterson' would have yielded 236,000 results containing photographs, personal details and contact information for next of kin. When Miranda finally resorted to utilizing the services of a private investigator in February, it took them less than 48 hours to discover what had become of Miranda's mother. Of course, we would all like to believe that this is an unfortunate but isolated event. However, I strongly suspect that it is not only not unique but probably relatively commonplace. In fact, Miranda has already received an email from a lady who discovered her father had been buried in the very same cemetery under similar circumstances. There appear to have been no such mistakes with social security numbers in this instance. The simple truth is that when someone dies who is apparently homeless, no one expects there to be a family that cares and very little effort is made to attempt to trace one. The relevant authorities will no doubt claim that every reasonable effort is made but when a simple google search is all it would have taken to unearth the necessary information, that claim is unconvincing to say the least.

White Tanks Cemetery is an extremely depressing place. It is plot of dirt in the middle of nowhere. It has a fence and a solitary bench. The sign says 'No Private Markers.' Miranda and her family may not erect a headstone in her honor or even inscribe the word 'mother' on the small brass marker that denotes her location.

Miranda strongly believes that due to the failings of the authorities that dealt with her mother's search and burial that her body should be disinterred and cremated at the city's expense so that she may be brought home and a proper service conducted and a respectful monument be erected in her memory. The cost of her disinterment is believed to be in the region of $3000. So far, authorities have denied responsibility and refused Miranda's request. You can read more of her struggle on her blog, My Mother Does Not Belong At White Tanks.

Dealing with the disappearance and subsequent death of a loved one is tough enough. Miranda and her family do not deserve the indignity they are now being made to endure. The same is true of the many other families that must be out there facing similar circumstances. The message to the authorities is simple and clear: do the right thing, help bring Joyce Darlene Patterson home.

An Ending of One Chapter and The Beginning Of The Next

Hello to all of you on the forum, blog, e-mails, that have replied with suggestions and helped to offer! I can not tell you how much your kindness means to me. In the search for my mother, the one thing that has always given me HOPE is the absolute KINDNESS of perfect strangers. Amazing to me that so many people have come forward and offer to help! I really can not thank you enough for simply caring enough to take a minute out of your day, let alone truly offer to do whatever to help.

The search for my mother ended in 2010. I finally got a couple of breaking leads that led me to find a good friend of hers. He informed my private investigator that my mother was in the hospital, terminal, in March of 2007. I was deeply saddened to learn that this man was listed as her NEXT of KIN or emergency contact... It makes me upset that HE did not go to the hospital and that my mother died alone in a hospital bed. But there is nothing that I can do about it now!

I am glad that I can finally have some closure, knowing that she has passed and is in one place with the Lord, resting peacefully. Not having to wake up every day and wonder where she is, if she's hungry, does she have a place to stay... is so relieving. But I wish I could have found her sooner and had the time with her to say Goodbye!

The Public Fiduciary's office had her buried at White Tanks Cemetery because according to them, they could not find next of kin. I don't know how that is possible, given that I have posted hundreds and even thousands of posts about my mother being missing... every one of the posts has my location and phone number on them.

I am going to make an effort to stand up for the families who have been denied the right to say goodbye to our loved ones and the taxpayers money being used to bury family members that should have otherwise been taken care of at death.

Again, thank you to everyone who has helped. I pray every day that God gives you blessings in return for the help you have given me! God Bless, Miranda

Maricopa County Public Fiduciary Indigent Burial

The Maricopa County Public Fiduciary is who is in charge of taking care of burial's for those with no known relatives, those unidentified, those who can not afford funerals, etc... Their website says this, "The goal of the Office of the Public Fiduciary is to afford dignity to each of those brought to its attention and to ensure that the rights and independence of each individual are preserved, regardless age or condition."

Indigent Burial -This is Maricopa County's page which provides direct information about their indigent burial program. It says the following, The Indigent Burial Program   assists in determining the proper final arrangements for decedents when there is lack of family involvement and/or income and resources are limited. Our staff members work with family and friends to determine eligibility and arrange the most appropriate disposition for the decedent. Valley contracted funeral homes participate in a rotation system coordinated by the Medical Examiner’s office. This system helps to ensure that a dignified and orderly process is followed. Members of Maricopa County Facilities Management and the Sheriff’s Office provide logistical services for proper interment. Arrangements may also be made with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona to inter indigent Veterans.

At the bottom of the web page it reads, "^*Burial responsibility falls upon the next of kin. A.R.S. § 36-831, “A person upon whom the duty of burial is imposed who omits to perform such a duty…is liable to the Person(s) performing the duty in their stead in the amount of two times the expenses the person(s) incurred in burying the body, which amount may be recovered in a civil action.”

It says the following about Unclaimed Remains - Referrals of unclaimed remains should be called in to (602) 506-5801 providing as much information as possible. If there is no known next of kin, an effort will be made to locate family and/or an investigation to decedent’s personal assets will be made to determine eligibility.

Potter's Field: Guidance for Inventorying and Maintaining Historic Cemeteries

Upon researching the White Tanks Cemetery articles via Google, I found the following article regarding the maintenance for cemeteries, etc...  Guidance for Inventorying and Maintaining Historic Cemeteries

In the article it says the following, with a picture of White Tanks,
"Potter’s Fields
Burial grounds for strangers and
the poor were often unmarked
and usually placed in a less than
desirable location of a community.
Because most of the graves had
small or no markers, the location
of these cemeteries are often lost
as time passes and the cemetery is
no longer actively used for burials.
They are sometimes marked with a
central monument stating that it is
a potter’s field, or a cemetery that
served a hospital or victims of an
epidemic. The name “potter’s field”
comes from a Biblical reference,
Matthew 27:7 that says “And they
took counsel, and bought with
them the potter's field, to bury
strangers in” (King James Bible
[Cambridge Edition])


In Arizona, county cemeteries
such as those in Maricopa County
at Tempe and at White Tanks are
operated so those who die indigent, unknown, or without other
means for burial have a place to be
interred (Figure 10). Cemeteries
at the State Mental Hospital and
the State Prison also contain the
remains of those having no other
location to be buried (Figure 11).
These locations are usually devoid 
of all but the most rudimentary

Collection of White Tanks Cemetery Articles

In an effort to bring as much awareness as possible to White Tanks Cemetery, I will continue to gather and post any and all articles that I might be able to find about it here. I would like to be able to take a look at the articles from the past to the present and hopefully the FUTURE.

It is my hope that the FUTURE articles will begin to read differently about White Tanks. I hope that they will bring awareness to the lives that end there.

White Tanks: A human touch for the business of death

This article is very good to look at... It actually has a video of how the service is done. It also shows the making of the brass markers. Scott Craven, contacted me, interested in doing a piece on White Tanks. He had read my story and wanted to include the LIFE aspect of White Tanks. He did a wonderful job! I thanked him many times over for putting this piece together. It is a beautiful piece. It also includes information from the public fiduciary about how they find next of kin. This article is RECENT and it will be my starting point for changing things!

Andre House is one of the religious organization's that provides spirituality to the services at White Tanks Cemetery. We all have Andre House to thank for giving our loved ones the love and goodbye that they deserve. 
click here for one person's experience at White Tanks with the Andre House. She says the following in her blog, "I came face to face with death's reality again this morning.  Five of us on summer staff drove thirty minutes outside of Phoenix to a potter's field to inter three men who had died and whose bodies had gone unclaimed.  More than likely they died on the street or in a shelter.  This was not an uncommon ceremony; eight different groups rotate overseeing the service to inter those who leave this world with nothing. Burying the dead is one of the corporal works of mercy that seems to always get glossed over (along with visiting the imprisoned, which we also checked off).  I can certainly see the value in it though.  These men had no one to mourn for them, no one to pray for their repose; except us.  We may have been the last humans to acknowledge that these men ever lived, and the gravity of that as our duty weighed on me during the ceremony.  Some of the graves at the cemetery were actually cared for with flowers or crosses, but most featured only a small round marker stuck in the ground.  I cannot say I was sad, but I was depressed, depressed at how quickly death's anonymity would swallow these men up.  It has really made me appreciate my faith, that there is hope that we simply will not fade away after death, but will come to new life."

The Path To White Tank County Cemetery
Summary: "Life for these three was prematurely snuffed out forever. They would never again see the sun rise or set, see a dog wag its tail, or hear a mourning dove sing its plaintive song. With each shovel of dirt, the delinquent teens heard about the consequences of taking the wrong path. These dead souls had given up their right to ever have the power of choice again----to live or to die, to take the left fork or the right. Sheriff Joe wanted the teens to see.....we pass this way but once." 

Gina O'Neil Gives Her Account of White Tanks Cemetery
The research about White Tanks Cemetery began in spring of 2009 after I  heard of the death of “Timmy”, a brother-in-law whom I never met and never knew. Timmy was the youngest of four children of Melvin and Barbara O’Neill. Being married to Timmy’s brother, Mike the oldest of the four; I made it my commitment to support my husband’s mission, to find where Timmy is buried.

A Dignified Paradox By D. J. ChavezThis is a book that includes White Tanks Cemetery. If you do the google search, it will allow you to preview a page of his book. It talks about abandonment being like suicide and how some end up at White Tanks.

Spirits of the White Tanks Cemetery 

Summary: Members of the Glendale Paranormal Chasers, the Reaper Team, and the MVD Ghostchasers joined together for an evening investigation of the cemetery grounds. Many of the pictures show what are said to be "orbs" or floating free spirits.

My thoughts: Not sure how to feel about this article, given that my mother was lost in her life, I have always wondered if her soul is really at rest or if it is still LOST. Which was one of my biggest desires to find her. I had hoped to be there with her when she passed, to give her peace. I wanted to close the outstanding issues between us before that time came... but I was denied of that ability. Although my mom chose to go to Arizona (and leave Ohio), I really feel that the authorities failed to assist me in helping my MENTALLY ILL MOTHER. More needs to be done to change this! We have to do something to make some kind of change.

Ghost Hunting at White Tanks Cemetery.

Summary: There are several stories about the White Tanks Cemetery, told to me by the GPC, who experienced these stories first hand. In the past, ghosts have turned on flashlights laid on graves. Another spirit likes making the sound of a bell ringing.  By the Porta Potty, there’s a bad dude who seems to guard the bathroom. According to Tim, whoever he is, he is not to be trifled with. He’s a mecca of bad energy, although of course, I made Tim take me over to where this angry ghost was known to hang out. Unfortunately, he was out haunting someone else last night.

When's There No One to Care
Summary: "When there’s no one to care, chain gangs bury the poor and the unknown of 
Maricopa County in a desolate cemetery half an hour west of Phoenix"

My thoughts: This is the very first article that I read about White Tanks Cemetery. It was very disturbing to me to read the article because my mother is there and someone did care. This is the overall impression of the cemetery... I did not want my mother there. I need to work on changing the overall reputation of the cemetery, spreading awareness of the functionality of it and changing how people end up there!  
A reporter, named Tarryn, from Cronkite News contacted me about a year ago and asked if she could do an article on my mother and White Tanks Cemetery. I absolutely agreed to do it. We did a skype interview and she put the piece together, but it was never published by Cronkite. She no longer works there, but said that she would ask about it for me. 

I am trying to work on getting the article published. I will try and bring as much attention as possible to White Tanks and spread the word about how people end up there. People must know about it before anything can change. The media can be a very strong ally in trying to bring awareness to and changing public policy.

White Tanks Cemetery is County's Potter's Field  (October 2004)
This article focuses on the fact that the chain gang is who performs the burials. It gives a perspective from the inmate's view. It also says, Some are transients who have fallen victim to their addictions, estranged from their families, said Sharie Tomlinson, county deputy public fiduciary. Others are poor, elderly people who outlived their loved ones. Still others are abandoned babies or those born of indigent couples."

Click Here you can view a slideshow to bagpipes of White Tanks Cemetery.
Photojournalist captures a service here.

White Tanks Cemetery, Arizona - Just Where "They" "End Up"

A New Beginning in My Journey That Ended At White Tanks Cemetery, Arizona

Many of you may know me, my name is Miranda Rhuda. I am the woman (or girl many call me) from Ohio who had been searching for her mother for 12 long years, when my search ended up at White Tanks Cemetery.

My story is extremely long. But I documented my whole journey, that you can read here at My Mother Does Not Belong at White Tanks Cemetery

My purpose for this blog is to pick up where I left off a few years back. There have been many people who have reached out to me regarding their loved ones at White Tanks Cemetery. Most of them are as equally disappointed about finding their loved ones deceased and buried in the barren desert.

More than the issue of where they are buried-- IS the MANNER in which they ended there.

The Maricopa County Public Fiduciary's office is responsible for "searching" for and notifying next of kin. When someone dies that has no money to pay for their funeral and no known relatives with them at death, it is the public officials job to search for next of kin to notify.

I was told that they have a Policy which clearly states the procedures that the clerks are to follow for finding next of kin. They told me that there were certain systems that they used, that they subscribe to, in order to search for family or other connected persons of the deceased. But when asked, they would not tell me exactly what the policies were or what "subscriptions" they have and use for searching for next of kin.

After I found out about my mother's passing, I became extremely discouraged, devastated really, paralyzed and immobile to do anything productive in regards to her death or burial. This blog signifies a new beginning for me. I am going to pick myself up, dust myself off and carry on to try and have some good come from the situation with my mother. I believe that the only way that I will really be able to ease any of the pain related to her story is to make something positive come of it!

I am continually amazed by the number of people who reach out to me about my story. I have had many "Angels" that have crossed my path along the way. I would like to use this blog to share those stories, my search for trying help others in similar situations and any efforts attempted to change policy regarding White Tanks and the indigent burials that end up there.

I am asking for anyone that is interested in participating in any of this, please send me an e-mail at Cleaning44870@gmail.com  Since I live in Ohio, it will be hard for me to do many things there in Arizona. If you are interested in participating in these efforts to benefit those who are "lost", homeless, etc... please let me know!

Also, I am looking for stories from other families that have loved ones buried at White Tanks. I would like to be able to collect and share as many stories as possible. I will keep all names and families anonymous, change names, etc... in an effort to respect all privacy, but I have to have enough evidence of failing policy in order to be able to change anything! Please help me!

Thank you so much,
Miranda N. Rhuda (Skinn)
419-602-7147