HILLSBORO, Ore. (KPTV) – The Hillsboro Police Department is investigating a theft at Fir Lawn Cemetery.
Police said someone stole about 80 bronze vases from gravesites at the cemetery, located at 1070 W. Main St., on Monday. The vases are about 10 inches tall and weigh roughly 10 pounds each.
About 80 bronze vases were stolen at Fir Lawn Cemetery(Hillsboro Police Department)
“I doubt anyone comes here for happy moments. It’s really, really sad, so to come over here and desecrate it is rough,” said Kevin Cooper, whose grandparents are buried at the cemetery.
The cemetery manager told FOX 12 on Wednesday that while mementos have occasionally disappeared from gravesites in the past, the cemetery has never experienced a theft on this scale.
Cemetery staff suspect the bronze vases were stolen to be sold at local scrap metal facilities. According to ScrapMonster, as of July 21, the average price for bronze scrap in the United States is about $4.10 per pound.
Staff said they have been in contact with local metal recyclers in hopes of recovering the stolen vases.
The cemetery has spent the past few days reaching out to families whose loved ones’ gravesites were tampered with. The manager said the experience for those families can be like “experiencing the loss all over again.”
On Wednesday, Cooper visited the cemetery to check on his grandparents’ graves. They were untouched. Still, he hopes the stolen vases are returned and the person responsible is held accountable.
“Maybe community service should be part of the punishment. They should mow this place and get an appreciation for the space and the solemn nature of it,” Cooper said.
The cemetery has surveillance cameras, but the manager said they did not capture the theft.
Anyone who saw something suspicious, has information about the theft, or has been offered vases matching the stolen ones is asked to contact the Hillsboro Police Department’s non-emergency line at 503-629-0111 and reference case No. 26-13837.
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