THREE RIVERS — A fiery obituary accusing a dead woman and others of a myriad of abuses resulted in the publisher pulling the piece online.

Every link to visit the obituary for “Linda Lernal Harvey Cullum Smith Stull” now leads to an error page.

“Obit was run in TR (Three Rivers) print edition (Dec. 15). It was submitted through our website, and was published without a good look on our part,” Mike Wilcox, publisher of Wilcox Newspaper, wrote in an email to the Sturgis Journal. “We took it down from (the) website after complaints about its content poured in. After taking (it) down, several (mostly the daughter) complaints and phone calls were received admonishing us for doing so.”

The lengthy obituary announcing the woman’s Dec. 12 death in Three Rivers includes a list of alleged wrongdoings, including condoning sexual assault against her daughter, Gayle Harvey Heckman, and lying to her daughter about who her biological father was.

“As a mother, Lernal was violent, hateful, and cruel. She physically, mentally, emotionally, verbally, and financially abused Gayle,” the print obituary reads, in part.

The obituary explicitly names one alleged abuser, an ex-husband whom The Journal will not name.

“Lernal accused Gayle of ‘trying to steal her husband’ and proceeded to beat her senselessly,” the obit reads.

Multiple phone numbers listed for Heckman were no longer in service Wednesday. She could not be reached immediately for comment.

“Gayle and her family forgive Lernal and hope that she has found peace,” the obit ends. “They also hope to find peace within themselves. Lernal will not be missed by Gayle or her family. They all understand the world is a much better place without her.”

— Contact local editor Liz Shepard at lshepard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: ‘Violent, hateful and cruel’: Scathing obituary publishes in southwest Michigan newspaper