Family member details vase thefts from gravesites at Columbia cemetery

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

As Teresa Shaw walked through the grounds at Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery on Monday, she counted vase after vase that had been stolen from gravesites in recent months.

"My grandmother's is missing, my grandmother's daughter's is missing," Shaw said. "My stepfather's was missing. You can go on over there and there's probably another 50 or 60 over there."

Shaw said she's counted five of her own family members that have been a target of the theft in the past month, but she believes the extent of the theft stretches back much further.

"At least five-to-six months," Shaw said. "These folks have paid for these and someone's just coming out here and stealing them."

On Monday, the funeral home and cemetery management confirmed to ABC 17 News the recent thefts of bronze memorial vases in a written statement.

"Unfortunately, thefts involving bronze memorial items have become more common as metal prices continue to rise, and we encourage local scrap metal dealers to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement," the statement reads. "As soon as we became aware of the missing vases, we began working with local law enforcement and encourage any family who believes property was stolen from their loved one’s space to file a report with the Columbia Police Department."

Shaw said she has not filed a report with CPD, but says she has brought up the theft to management and employees at the cemetery. Shaw explained her hesitation with filing a police report.

"We don't have enough law officers as it is to take care of the traffic and the crimes that we have now," Shaw said. "They're [the funeral home is] supposed to take care of this, no one else."

Memorial Funeral Home said families can contact their office for assistance if they believe a loved one’s vase has been stolen. However, Shaw said when she has done that she has not seen action be taken or the problem resolved.

"They [the funeral home] tell us that there's no way to catch them," Shaw said. "You can put deer cameras up there, you know, hire a security guard every once in a while to come out here and roam over this place."

Shaw said the timeline of the theft could be longer than the six months she has been able to track back to, but its hard to know because many loved ones aren't always able to check on a gravesite consistently.

"Some of their families maybe don't even live here anymore, they have somebody else put flowers on them," Shaw said. "Get the dang things ordered and get them out here."

With the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, Shaw thinks the reality of the situation may come to a head.

"Memorial Day when they come out here and see this, that their vases are all gone, they're not going to be happy campers," Shaw said. "Where do you think they're going to put these [flowers]? In the ground like a that ain't where they belong."

Shaw is urging all loved ones to check their family member or friends gravesite at Columbia's Memorial Park Cemetery.

"If there vase is missing or if it's cracked, make them fix it. That's that's what we pay for, make them fix it," Shaw said.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Columbia Police Department on Monday afternoon.