Clyde Champion Barrow and Bonnie Elizabeth Parker were shot to death in an ambush by officers on May 23, 1934, near Sailes, Louisiana, according to the FBI's website. That ended a nearly three-year crime spree that made the pair two of the most wanted criminals in the United States during the Great Depression.
They are buried in separate cemeteries in Dallas, about nine miles apart. Barrow is buried at Western Heights Cemetery in West Dallas, while Parker is interred at Crown Hill Memorial Park.
"Their desire was to be buried side by side. I think that's the way that it should be," Parker's niece, Rhea Leen Linder, told WFAA. Linder, who is 84, is Parker's last blood relative, the television station reported.
"They made a spot next to Clyde for Bonnie back then. It's still there," Buddy Barrow, 76, told WFAA. "You would be surprised how many times we are approached by those who ask why weren't they buried together? Why can't they be buried together?"
After the couple was killed, Parker’s mother demanded that her daughter be buried separately, the television station reported.
"I can't blame my grandmother for saying no at the time," Linder told WFAA. "I think any parent would say no, that was enough. But it's been 84 years."
However, getting Bonnie and Clyde back together is not that simple.
The owner of Western Heights Cemetery told WFAA that he does not oppose the idea, but said the disinterment of a body is a legal issue and that Linder would have to get a court order.
For now, the plot next to Clyde Barrow’s in West Dallas remains unused.
“If Bonnie was there she would be in a historical cemetery next to history,” Buddy Barrow said. “Her name would be added to that marker just like the other (relatives) are.”
About the Author