Woman Sleeps in Cemetery for Months After Husband’s Death Rescued by a Stranger

In December 2022, police in Syracuse, New York, discovered 55-year-old Rhea Holmes living in Oakwood Cemetery, where she had taken residence after her husband Eddie’s sudden death in 2020. Following his passing and her subsequent struggles with depression and homelessness, Holmes found solace by his grave. Officer Jamie Pastorello intervened, providing her with temporary housing and connecting her to resources, including a tiny home program. Holmes’s new friendship with Pastorello offers her hope and stability, preventing a return to the cemetery.