Watch CBS News

Family: Wrong Headstone Placed On Grave Of 9-Year-Old Girl Mauled By Pit Bull

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Long Island family is reeling after discovering the wrong headstone on the grave of a 9-year-old girl.

The family of Amiyah Dunston found someone else's headstone when they visited her grave on Valentine's Day in Uniondale, Newsday reported.

Dunston, of Baldwin, was playing in a yard in Elmont with two other children in Nov. 2015 when the dog suddenly mauled her. A woman who lives on the ground floor tried to stop the dog, but couldn't. Dunston was rushed to nearby Franklin hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Her family had ordered a headstone, but that one hadn't arrived yet.

"We just want to be in peace," a family member told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall. "Because we went through enough -- now you're going to put something on her grave that isn't hers?" 

Dunston's grandmother, Marlena West, says the child's mother relived the tragedy because of the error.

It's not clear whether the other family has been informed of the mix-up.

Greenfield Cemetery is owned by the Town of Hempstead. A sympathetic commissioner had the monument company remove the incorrect headstone.

Town spokesman Mike Deery extended "heartfelt apologies'' on the monument company's behalf.

(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.