Police: About 80 vases stolen from gravesites at Hillsboro cemetery - KPTV
Police in Hillsboro, Oregon, are investigating the theft of approximately 80 bronze vases from a local cemetery. Authorities believe the items were stolen to be sold as scrap metal.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the emotional and financial impact of metal theft on communities and families of the deceased.
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.
“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.
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