Police looking for vandals who defaced dozens of graves at Denham Springs cemetery
DENHAM SPRINGS - Families visiting their loved ones' graves were shocked to find dozens of burial sites defaced at a Livingston Parish cemetery over the weekend.
Pictures shared with WBRZ showed several headstones overturned and other items destroyed at Denham Springs Memorial Cemetery on Range Avenue. City officials said about 40 graves were damaged sometime over the weekend, with numerous headstones and urns either damaged or missing.
It also appeared some of the graves had been set on fire.
Dozens of people are at the Denham Springs Memorial Cemetery right now, making sure their loved ones grave sites were not vandalized.
— Nick Perlin (@nickperlin_TV) January 17, 2023
We’re told around 40 grave sites were vandalized. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/ZGskdROkYl
Rene Fletcher was one of many people who showed up to the cemetery disgusted. Her mom is buried at the cemetery, and she doesn't understand how someone could do vandalize a person's grave.
"It takes a sick person, I don't care how old or how young, to come to a cemetery and so something like this," Fletcher said.
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Denham Springs Mayor Gerard Landry was also there. He hopes police can find whoever is responsible soon.
"They've done a report, I'm sure they are looking at doorbell video and security cameras from the surrounding areas, and hopefully they can find these guys," Landry told WBRZ.
City Council Members are already trying to stop this from happening again.
Councilwoman Lori Lamm-Williams told WBRZ in a statement that solution may involve installing cameras at the cemetery.
As for the broken headstones, workers at Seale Funeral Home were already busy fixing some of them Tuesday afternoon. That work will continue Wednesday and the repairs will be done for free.