Mausoleum doors stolen from several cemeteries in Philadelphia region under investigation
By Joe Holden
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PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Several police departments across the Philadelphia region are comparing notes after a series of crimes involving thieves stealing the doors off the front of mausoleums.
The final resting places for two families were hit at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Marple Township, Delaware County.
Mary Beth McGinty said the actions are despicable.
“It makes me angry because it’s sacred ground,” McGinty said.
McGinty, of Havertown, is a regular at the cemetery for daily walks.
“I come for the exercise, but I do know plenty of dead people in here,” she said.
McGinty was floored to find out about the thefts. The thieves left behind evidence of their crime, including tiny screws
“Just simply unscrewed them from their hinges,” Marple Police Chief Brandon Graeff said.
The doors are expensive and heavy.
Graeff said his detectives are working with other departments in Montgomery County and Philadelphia where thieves have stolen mausoleum doors.
“It’s very likely they’re connected somehow,” Graeff said. “If not the same actors, a group of them all involved in this.”
Graeff said police need leads.
Marple Township Police want anyone who may have seen something going back to mid-February to call them. They also said it may have looked like someone was doing work or maintenance at the mausoleums.
“Even if they think it’s nothing, please call us,” Graeff said. “It could be linked to a lot of others.”
Investigators are also advising cemeteries that it may now be a good idea to invest in surveillance cameras.
“We’re talking $15,000 mausoleum doors,” Graeff said. “It might be something they consider doing. It would help us.”
McGinty said she thinks the situation reeks of disrespect.
“People do care about their dead relatives and friends, so it’s really awful to do this,” she said.
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