PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. — Authorities in Putnam County are asking for help finding the vandal(s) who knocked down 18 headstones at a cemetery over the weekend.
A Putnam County deputy was on patrol early Saturday morning when he saw several gravestones at the New Maysville Cemetery that had been vandalized overnight.
A total of 18 headstones had been knocked over by one or more vandals. Photos showed the tops of the headstones on the ground after being ripped from the bottom piece of the headstone that anchors it to the ground.
Fortunately, the cemetery's groundskeeper was able to remount all of the headstones with minimal damage done.
Vandalism of Putnam County headstones
The Putnam County Sheriff shared photos of the vandalism on Facebook and asked the public to help officers catch those responsible by reviewing their surveillance footage or coming forward if they saw anything suspicious on the night of the vandalism.
Families with loved ones laid to rest there say it’s more than just vandalism — it’s hurtful.
“It just makes me angry to think people get such fun out of destroying something that belongs to someone else,” Carol Fred said, who drove to the cemetery from Beech Grove to check on her loved one’s headstone.
Cemetery board member Ray Neier said it was likely young vandals who weren’t targeting anyone in particular, but just causing mischief.
“[But] no matter who you are, you've had a loss in your family, and I think you could say you wouldn't want that to happen to you,” Neier said. “It is disrespectful.”
The Putnam County sheriff said there may have been other incidents of vandalism that night possibly caused by the same suspects who vandalized the cemetery.
Anyone with information about the suspects in this vandalism is being encouraged to send a private message to the Putnam County sheriff's Facebook page or, to remain anonymous, call 765-653-1810 and press *2.