L.I. Mom Says Son's Grave Has Been Desecrated 'Over And Over Again'

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island woman says someone stole from her son's grave. According to her, she's not alone and says there are dozens of other victims and no one has been caught.

To see her son's grave vandalized, flowers strewn about and the vase stolen, Kathy Peranzo says she was in shock to see it happen again and again.

"Leave my son alone. He's trying to rest in peace and we're in hell over and over and over again," Peranzo told CBS 2's Cat Andersen.

Peranzo believes someone is stealing the bronze vases throughout St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale and melting them down to sell the metal. She said they're worth about $500 and that dozens have been stolen from from other graves since August.

"To lose a child is horrible. I'm losing him over and over again," Peranzo said.

Cemetery workers told CBS 2 it is the same small area that keeps getting burglarized over and over again.

"I blame the cemetery," Peranzo said.

Peranzo said when her husband visited their son's grave on Monday, he saw several vases scattered on the lawn.

"I think they heard my husband coming and just dropped them," she said.

No one from the cemetery would answer any questions. Instead they referred CBS 2 to the Archdiocese of Brooklyn, who runs the cemetery, but they did not return phone calls.

Police say, in the meantime, they'll be stepping up patrols in the area. Similar thefts have also occurred at nearby Pinelawn cemetery in Farmingdale.

The investigation is ongoing.

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