Julia Buccola Petta

When Matthew Petta’s young wife died in childbirth with their stillborn son, Filippo, she was clothed in her wedding dress and buried with the baby in Mount Carmel Cemetery, located just outside of Chicago, Illinois, in the suburb of Hillside. According to the family legend, Julia’s mother, Filomena, was troubled for years by dreams where Julia seemed to be trying to communicate that she was still alive. Filomena Buccola was so disturbed by these dreams she had the grave opened and Julia’s body exhumed.

The mud-covered casket was opened to reveal the body of Julia in quiet repose, seemingly unchanged from the day she was buried. The corpse of her stillborn son, Filippo had decayed, but depending upon the source, Julia’s body was either completely untouched by decomposition, or was untouched saved for the arm which held the child. One source claims the skin was found to be soft to the touch, and the cheeks were still red. It was after this exhumation that a new monument was placed on the grave, featuring a statue carved in Italy of Julia in her wedding dress, the photo from which this statue was created, and a photograph of Julia in her coffin, showing a corpse immaculately preserved after six years interred.