Grave thefts: An age-old problem that won't die

It's that time of year when even cemetery guards are more easily spooked, on alert for signs of one of the oldest, most ghoulish and most persistent of crimes: grave robberies.Mostly, it's kids doing pranks or thieves looking for valuables, metals or marble.

[Why is this a surprise]

With the economy the way it is, things that would otherwise be safe no longer is. At one time grave robbing was a hanging offense; no longer. If some ballsey thief would steal the brass railings from the St. Petersburg courthouse why is grave robbing such a surprise? I would hope that families would stop burying the loved ones with jewelry etc. but I know that's still done; remove the incentive you lessen the crime. Scrap dealers are now required to pay attention to the frequency of sellers and the items they sell, of course the smart ones will just learn to melt stuff down before they sell it. I guess I don't get why they'd want marble, metal I can see but I don't know of anyone buying pieces of marble and if they bring in the whole headstone the crime is going to be obvious. Attics are desperate, kids are bored and desperate and the ranks of the homeless (whether they choose to be there or not) are growing too...nothing surprising here at all.

[abcd]

When I lived in NYC back in the 70's there was a group of guys who used to go to St. Raymond's cemetary and break into the masoleums. They would take the jewelry and whatever was valuable from the body and pawn it. They hit Woodlawn a few times too.

[A Reader]

Interestingly; people steal.

Why?

Keeping it simple. When people cannot easily feed their needs they seek remedies to their growling guts or growling pockets. Cemetaries often have been robbed since those robbed are known to be easy touches.

Have had relatives stolen from in both NYC locals can only say that those robbed did provide some really pawnable stuff. Yes there is a world out there in which wealth is always a commodity; there is a bong in every skull stolen. Bongs are used everywhere that there are people.

What is interesting is that 'writer 1' who posted on an item out of Kansas City didn't give any locality for self but socked into Hernando on 11/7 wasn't answed untill 11/13 apparently when the ghoulish aspect tittilated a displaced individual who had been a cemetary viewer or grave inspector some 30-40 years before elsewhere.

Keep stuff pumping we all like to read.