A Richford man buried his father in a shallow grave in the back yard of his home, state police say.

On Friday, Sept. 1, the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office notified the Vermont State Police that the body was identified as Timothy Bair, 65, of Richford. The autopsy was unable to determine a cause and manner of death, and both will officially be listed as undetermined. The death was not believed to be suspicious. 

The investigation began at about 12:45 p.m. Tuesday when state police received a call reporting that Shawn Bair, 32, of Richford, had informed the caller that a family member recently died of natural causes, and Bair had buried the relative in the back yard of his home on Intervale Avenue.

Detectives obtained a search warrant and responded to the scene, where troopers located a grave and unearthed human remains. In consultation with the Franklin County State’s Attorney’s Office, detectives issued a citation to Bair on a charge of improper disposal of a body. He was scheduled to appear in court Aug. 23 in St. Albans.

State law requires that “A dead body shall not be buried, entombed, or removed, or otherwise disposed of without a burial-transit permit issued and signed by a municipal clerk, a county clerk, or a deputy clerk for the municipality or unorganized town or gore in which the dead body is located; a funeral director licensed in Vermont; an owner or designated manager of a crematorium licensed in Vermont who is registered to perform removals; or a law enforcement officer.”