ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Hundreds of families who recently visited their loved ones’ graves at Orange County’s largest cemetery found a cruel surprise: thieves had stolen the bronze vase from the grave.
Investigators said at least 300 of the bronze vases were stolen, with a total value of $20,000.
The vases have been slowly disappearing from the Woodlawn Cemetery in West Orange County for the past two months.
Photos: Vases Stolen from Orange County cemetery
Julia Carroll’s father has been gone almost 15 years. The bronze vase on his grave is still there, but she heard the news that hundreds of others were missing.
“I guess it could be worth a lot of money, but it sure means a lot more to people than just the money angle,” she said.
Carroll said it’s disrespectful someone would target people already dealing with the pain of losing a loved one.
“It hurts, it hurts your soul, it really does,” she said.
The general manager of the cemetery said the thefts have happened throughout the entire cemetery.
Thieves have not targeted a specific location, but the thefts have happened over the past two months, mainly over the weekends.
The vases weigh about 7 pounds.
Thieves typically sell them to scrap metal dealers for a quick profit.
The vases cost nearly $500 to replace.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating.
“I think it’s horrible. It’s desecrating the graves,” Carroll said.
The cemetery is offering replacement vases made from zinc for those who had theirs stolen.