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Woman identifies those in pauper's grave

Posted at 2:30 PM, Nov 29, 2015
and last updated 2015-11-29 16:30:42-05

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - An Arizona woman's mission to identify people buried in a pauper's grave is complete.
    
Gail Sadler of Winslow spent about 1,200 hours going through death certificates to create an index listing 542 people laid to rest at the cemetery tied to a former tuberculosis sanatorium.
    
The overwhelming majority of people are Navajo and under age 3.
    
The cemetery sits just off Interstate 40 and long had been used as a dumping ground. A simple black iron fence went up earlier this year, just inside of which stands a double cross.
    
Sadler's next goal is to secure enough money for a granite memorial plaque bearing the cemetery's name.
    
A separate sign will have a brief history of the cemetery and a code to scan to see the names of the dead.