CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — At least 400 grave vases were stolen in the last week and a half from a Connellsville cemetery.
When Beth Frigaletti heard that some vases were stolen off of graves at the Green Ridge Memorial Cemetery, she went to check it out for herself.
“My grandma and grandparents are gone. My mom’s is there, but (it) might be the wrong one. It doesn't fit in well,” Frigaletti said.
Cemetery superintendent Blaine Brooks said the 400 vases were stolen in the last week and a half since the site was last mowed.
“At first glance, not having work(ed) in the immediate area, we wouldn't have noticed they were gone, until we came back though for a funeral or to cut the grass,” Brooks said.
The thieves took the vases but put the flowers back into the empty hole, making it hard to notice from a distance.
Police are investigating and checking to see if the thieves have approached any local scrap yards.
Brooks said it shouldn’t be that easy to sell what clearly belongs on a grave.
“That's the question: where are they turning them in? Are they turning them in? (I’m) not sure if there's any leads from any scrap yards,” Brooks said.
The total amount of stolen vases may weigh up to 2 tons.