SUPPLY, N.C. (WECT) – It has been just over a year since Belva White’s husband of 28 years, William White, died.
Hoping to honor her late husband with a remembrance ceremony on the first anniversary of his death, White says she paid Memory Lane Monuments more than $2,000 for a headstone at his gravesite in Supply.
Instead of receiving the monument, though, White said she’s gotten nothing but heartache.
“He loved this country. And he was a wonderful man. He loved people. And he just deserved to be remembered. And I wanted to honor him with this special occasion, and they caused me to not be able to do that,” she said.
Last month, White filed a civil complaint in Brunswick County court, hoping to recover the $2,350 she paid, court documents show.
Earlier this week, the two people in charge of the business, Phyllis Hester McDaniel and James Kynston Lee Rittenhouse, were both charged with felony obtaining property by false pretenses after a Bladen County Sheriff’s Office investigation, separate from White’s case.
According to an arrest warrant for McDaniel, the investigation was tied to a gravestone that was allegedly never delivered after a $2,550 payment. The woman who made that allegation, Crystal Sikes, declined an on-camera interview, but shared a picture of the empty gravesite.
Court records show another civil complaint, made by Sykes, against McDaniel and Rittenhouse in Bladen County court, connected to that criminal case. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 10.
White said she was surprised and disappointed to hear there were other cases.
“It was just unbelievable. But if she would do it to me, she would do it to other people, too,” White said of McDaniel. “She needs to step up and pay back the people for what she’s done. She’s caused a lot of pain and a lot of hurt. And she needs to pay for it.”
William White was an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, Desert Shield, and Desert Storm. His wife says he deserved better. She canceled the first anniversary ceremony after the new headstone never showed up.
As the anniversary date approached, White said she contacted Memory Lane multiple times, but couldn’t get an answer for when the monument would be finished. Eventually, she said she had “no other choice” but to file the civil complaint.
“They took it away from me. They took it away from him,” White said. “It’s heartbreaking. Heartbreaking. There’s not enough words to say how bad it hurt me.”
Hoping to get answers for White, WECT Investigates went to the Memory Lane Monuments office in Supply, but the business had moved out. Through the Ring doorbell, the landlord said the business had recently left, but left most of their belongings inside.
McDaniel did speak with WECT Investigates over the phone, but she declined multiple requests to answer questions on camera or on the record by phone. She did emphasize, though, that White would get her money back, but it’s unclear when that will happen.
On Sunday, McDaniel texted WECT Investigates “paid” with a thumbs-up emoji. White, however, said she has not received anything as of Thursday afternoon. McDaniel did not respond when asked for proof of payment.
“I can’t believe there are people out there like that, that would do that to people. I could never hurt somebody like that,” White said.
White said she shared her story in hopes it wouldn’t happen to anybody else. She has a court date with McDaniel on Nov. 23.
“She needs to step up and pay back the people for what she’s done. She’s caused a lot of pain and a lot of hurt,” White said. “It’s about what she did. What she did to me and my husband. The pain that she caused. The grief. The tears. The nights I’ve cried.”
McDaniel has her first appearance in Bladen County court on the criminal charge Friday morning, Nov. 6. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office said Rittenhouse hasn’t been arrested.
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