ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida detectives are investigating 20 cases tied to three suspects accused of breaking into cemetery niches and stealing jewelry and other family heirlooms.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says Drake Lee Milam, 33, his girlfriend, Porsche Bancroft, 32, and Bancroft’s mother, Angela Garrett, 52, are wanted on warrants that would extradite them back to Florida to face charges.
Investigators say the trio, who all live in the Indianapolis area, have targeted cemeteries in at least nine states as part of what detectives believe is a widespread crime spree.
“They’re all from the Indianapolis, Indiana area. However, they could be anywhere on the eastern half of the United States,” OCSO Corporal Cole Brazee said.
Brazee said the suspects targeted niches inside mausoleums where families place urns containing their loved ones’ cremated remains. Family members sometimes leave jewelry and other sentimental items inside the niches with those remains.
“These three individuals, Drake Milem, his girlfriend, Portia Bancroft, and Portia’s mom, Angela Garrett, broke into these niches and stole from the dead,” Brazee said.
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Investigators say the suspects traveled through several states, including Oklahoma, Minnesota, Texas, Georgia, Iowa, and North Carolina. Their alleged crimes reached as far northeast as Buffalo, New York.
In Florida, detectives are investigating approximately 20 cases stretching from Orlando and Winter Park to the Tampa area. Investigators believe there could be additional victims who have not yet discovered their loved ones’ property is missing.
Brazee urged Florida residents to check on their loved ones’ cemetery niches and make sure any valuables left behind are still there:
If you haven’t visited your loved one in a while and you know they’re in a niche, make sure that your property is still there. If it’s not, report it to your local law enforcement.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who recognizes the suspects or knows where they may be to contact Central Florida Crimeline.
All three suspects have full-extradition warrants out of Central Florida, according to the sheriff’s office.
Central Florida Crimeline is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information can call 1-800-423-8477.
The Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is handling the case in an effort to prosecute the suspects statewide.