Winfred Barnes died on Dec. 24, 2014 after suffering a massive heart attack at work.
His wife, Kizzie Sewell, purchased a gravesite shortly after his death for $3,150 at Montlawn Cemetery, where he was buried a few days later on Dec. 31.
Other WRAL Top Stories
But last year the cemetery called Sewell and told her they had mistakenly sold the plot where her husband was interred to someone else -- and that customer had started paying for the plot in installments six months before Barnes was buried there.
"It was a mistake that was made," said Sewell, who lives in Garner. "A horrible mistake."
Sewell and her 17-year-old daughter, Kamaia Barnes, were left reeling.
"That makes no sense," Kamaia said. "After all these years, you're just now saying we sold it to someone else (and) you have to move him. It makes no sense and it's not right."
The dispute landed in court and the judge ruled that the man with the original contract could keep the plot and Barnes' body would have to be moved.
A spokesperson for the funeral home issued a written statement to WRAL News: "Montlawn Memorial Park's mission is to help families memorialize every life with dignity, including providing and maintaining a tranquil and beautiful place for memorialization. This is an unfortunate episode and we worked diligently with the families involved in order to reach an acceptable solution. The matter was eventually decided by a court order and we are abiding by the court's decision. We want to reassure our families and the local community that we are committed to serving them and their loved ones.
On Wednesday, Barnes' body was dug up from the spot where he had been buried five years ago.
Watching her father's casket being dug up, was more than Kamaia Barnes could handle as she began weeping at the sight.
"It was hard," she said. "I didn't expect it to be how it was. When they pulled the vault up, I just started crying."
Said Sewell: "Today was like having the funeral all over again."
It was a day she did everything in her power to prevent.
But the court sided with the first customer.
"The cemetery (and) funeral home had made the mistake, but (the judge said) he was the rightful owner."