Trouble can't rest eternally with Helmsley

NEW YORK, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Leona Helmsley's last request that her dog be buried in the family crypt in a New York cemetery won't be honored because it's illegal, an official said.

An official with the Department of State's Division of Cemeteries told The New York Post a dog can't be buried in a cemetery meant for humans.

"Absolutely not, there's no question about it," said the official, who asked not to be named. "A dog would not be allowed to be buried or interred in a cemetery. It's for human beings."

Also, officials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where the Helmsleys have a $1.4 million crypt in the mausoleum, said they had no intention of honoring the request that her Maltese, Trouble, be buried next to the real estate magnate who died Aug. 20, and her husband, Harry, who died in 1997.

"We're not allowed to bury any pets in the cemetery," a Sleepy Hollow representative said.

Helmsley left $12 million in trust for Trouble in her will.