Adam Lanza’s remains were claimed for burial yesterday, and at the time, the person who stepped forward to claim them remained anonymous.
The question of the fate of Adam Lanza’s remains is one that few considered in the immediate horror following the Sandy Hook shooting, and Americans following the horrifying developments in Newtown, Connecticut, were more concerned with the fate of the bodies of the 26 who were killed on that day.
Remains of the victims lay where they fell late into the night of the Sandy Hook shooting as police evaluated and scrutinized the crime scene — and parents everywhere prayed for the families of the victims, families that were unable to claim the bodies of their little ones for what seemed like a terribly long time.
Few thoughts were spared for Adam Lanza’s remains , though he too lay amid the fallen as the night wore on. And the following day, Medical Examiner Dr. Wayne Carver told press that identifications were underway and that a victims’ list had been compiled — but that Lanza’s autopsy would be the final one, allowing the families of his victims to plan their funerals with haste.
Yesterday, it was reported that Adam Lanza’s remains had been claimed, too — but who had claimed them remained a mystery.
Now Newsday is reporting that Peter Lanza, Adam Lanza’s father, is the person who stepped forward to handle his son’s body after the massacre.
It is a common adage that funerals are for the living, and in that sense, the issue of Lanza’s remains creates a continual issue. Rev. Don Marxhausen officiated at the funeral of Columbine killer Dylan Klebold, and said:
“He couldn’t publicly go in a cemetery … There is that issue of people who would desecrate.”
Marxhausen later lost his job as a result of the outcry for his participation, but he said of the decision:
“Christ always goes where it’s darkest. You do your job.”
Due to the high likelihood of desecration, it is probable that Adam Lanza’s body will be cremated privately or buried in an undisclosed location.