Cemetery bringing in extra security after urn thefts
GREENFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — A cemetery in Greenfield is now taking extra security measures after receiving reports of thefts.
Workers said thieves have been stealing urns weighing hundreds of pounds from gravesites at Park Cemetery in Greenfield.
One victim said he is sad that someone would steal in the first place, let alone at a cemetery. He told 24-Hour News 8 it happened to him twice. The recent theft happened last month.
More than 14,000 people are buried at Park Cemetery.
Jim Cherry stops by every now and then to visit his loved ones. Four generations of his family are buried there, including his dad, sister, and grandparents.
“I grew up coming here. My parents brought me here when I was a little kid with them to see, you know to bring flowers to do things,” he said. “You know it’s always been a part of our life and it’s just a place that we kind of have some solitude.”
Cherry said he thought someone was playing a joke on him last December when he noticed something missing from his family’s gravesite.
“I noticed the urn gone and I backed up and I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I got out and walked out over there and they just dumped it out behind the headstone and carried it off.”
Cherry said the urn sat in the same spot for decades.
“I would guess it’s been on this grave for 50-75 years because I’m sure my grandfather bought both of them,” he said. “I know that they were here for as long as I remembered and I could remember 60 years.”
Cherry knows that times are tough. He just didn’t think people would steal from a place like this.
“I mean this is a sacred place it’s kind of like church to me,” he said. “I can’t just believe anybody would do something like that.”
Workers at the cemetery believe at least two people are behind the crime given the weight of the urns.
“They can be up to 200, 300, 400 pounds so you would think it would be more than one person doing it,” said Tyler Rankins, Greenfield Street Commissioner.
Since December, the cemetery has had 19 urns stolen. Rankins said the urns are not cheap.
“They are stealing the dirt with them,” said Rankins. “They’re not dumping the dirt out, they’re taking the dirt with them.”
Rankins said he’s not sure how the thieves are getting away with the crime especially when gates are locked at night.
“We’re not sure when they’re coming in because we’re usually here between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day,” he said. “The gates close at 10 o’clock at night so there’s a short window in there that they can actually be taken.”
The cemetery does not have any cameras, but have called for extra security.
Greenfield police believe the thieves are taking the urns for metal scrap or re-selling the urns at antique shops.
If you have any information please call the Greenfield Police Department at (317) 325-1284.
