Family Members Distraught Over Vandalism In Philadelphia Cemetery
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Flowers adorn the gravesites at Magnolia Cemetery, reminders of recent visits to loved ones. But the cemetery has other signs as well - in evidence of vandalism.
"It's absolutely disgraceful," said Betty Malloy. "No words to explain it."
Malloy visits the cemetery often, stopping at the graves of her mother and nephew. Sunday morning she noticed dozens of headstones knocked over, lying flat on the ground.
"Looks like they couldn't get the top off of this," said Malloy, pointing out a knocked-over headstone, "So they pushed over the whole stone, whereas this one they pushed over the top piece."
The cemetery is a common cut-through in the residential section of Tacony, and kids often play in the nearby field. But Malloy has never seen anything like this.
"It's terrible."
Each of the headstones weighs more than 500 pounds. To pick them up requires a tremendous amount of force and a willingness to vandalize the grave sites.
"I just think it's disgraceful that people can't even rest in peace," said Alice Benson.
Benson lives nearby, but did not see the fallen headstones until she visited the grave of her mother-in-law.
"It's a shame."
As family members try to clean up the vandalized sites, police try to figure out who disturbed the graves of those who rest in peace.
Reported by Oren Liebermann, CBS 3
