The incident has resurfaced in the upcoming biography “RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise” by Isabel Vincent

RFK Jr. once moved his ex-wife’s remains from Kennedy family plot to edge of cemetery

The incident has resurfaced in the upcoming biography "RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise" by Isabel Vincent

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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April 8, 2026 6:51 p.m. ET

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Robert Kennedy Jr. and Mary Richardson Kennedy in 2005. Credit:

Nick Papananias/Patrick McMullan via Getty

- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moved his second wife's remains from the Kennedy family plot after her burial without her family's knowledge.

- Mary Richardson Kennedy died by suicide in 2012 while the couple's divorce was pending.

- *RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise *by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent hits bookstores on April 14.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made alternative arrangements for his second wife's final resting place after her initial burial.

According to an exclusive excerpt given to PEOPLE from the upcoming biography, *RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise *by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent, RFK Jr.'s second wife Mary Richardson Kennedy's remains were moved after her funeral and subsequent internment.

At the time of her death, per NBC News, Mary's siblings sued the Kennedy family to have her buried in Westchester, N.Y., closer to where her children lived at the time. Kennedy ultimately won, allowing her to be interred in Massachusetts, where most of the Kennedy family is buried. Mary's family did not attend the funeral at St. Patrick Church in Bedford, N.Y., hosted by the Kennedy family where she was eulogized by RFK Jr.

The Richardson family hosted their own private memorial instead at the Standard Hotel in Manhattan, per *The New York Times*.

Kennedy Jr. and Richardson Kennedy in 2002.

RJ Capak/WireImage

"Mary was originally buried in a plot at Saint Francis Xavier Cemetery in Centerville [Mass.] next to Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver," the book notes, referring to RFK Jr.'s aunt and uncle, "but several days later Kennedy moved her remains to the edge of the cemetery, burying her in an unmarked plot."

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NBC News reported Mary's coffin was exhumed two months later and reburied 700 feet away. “We were unaware of this, and we were not informed about it,” the Richardson family’s lawyer Patricia Hennessey told the *New York Daily News* at the time.

Kennedy Jr. and Richardson Kennedy in 2010.

Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic

RFK Jr. and Mary wed in 1994 and had four children during their marriage. In May 2010, Kennedy filed for divorce from Mary, who was struggling with sobriety. The case was still pending when she died by suicide in May 2012.

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Mary was found hanging from a noose on a beam inside her garage at her Westchester home by Kennedy and Mary's friend, Shannon White. Kennedy was alerted by a housekeeper that Mary appeared to be missing. Despite having moved on with his now-third wife Cheryl Hines, friends of Kennedy said that Mary's death weighed heavily on him long after.

“I know Bobby well enough to know that Mary’s suicide is a weight he will carry for the rest of his life. That’s going to haunt him," a former close friend said, per Vincent's book.

'RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise' by Isabel Vincent.

*RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise** *by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent hits bookstores on April 14. It is available for preorder wherever books are sold.

*If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the **National Suicide Prevention Lifeline** at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).*

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