Dozens of headstones were stolen or destroyed at a Compton cemetery and the suspects responsible for the crimes appear to have no plans of stopping.
Just within the last few weeks, thieves took a variety of headstones at Woodlawn Cemetery, presumably to sell the metals inside, like copper, for a profit.
“It just breaks my heart,” said Renee Bogosian, whose grandparents are buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. “I can’t imagine the people who have lost their family’s headstone, how they feel. Some people can’t afford to even replace them.”
This isn’t the first time the cemetery has been targeted by thieves or vandals. The property’s owner, Celestina Bishop, said that over the past two years, hundreds of headstones or plaques have been destroyed or stolen altogether.
Bishop said she struggles with the weight of what’s happening and how it’s affecting local families.
“I’m overwhelmed,” she told KTLA’s Lindsey Pena. “Having to explain to someone that your only symbolic memory of your family, someone decided to steal it. That’s reopening grief.”
Many families said they’ve been visiting the cemetery more often to ensure their relatives’ gravestones were not damaged.
Pamela Martinez visited her grandparents’ headstone and was relieved to see it was intact.
“We wanted to make sure that the memorial is still here,” she said. “It means a lot. It’s been a long time since our grandparents died, but they live in our hearts, so we want to be here.”
Bishop said her family and local volunteers have stepped up security measures and are working to patrol the grounds to deter any future thieves.
“My message to the thieves is, stay away from us,” Bishop said.
The thefts remain under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Anyone with information can call the Compton Sheriff’s Station at 310-605-6500.
The post Compton cemetery continually targeted by thieves stealing, destroying headstones appeared first on KTLA.
