‘Disbelief and disappointment’: 17 historical headstones vandalized in Grantsville City Cemetery, reward offered
GRANTSVILLE, Utah (ABC4) — Grantsville Mayor Neil Critchlow said he received an email late on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with photos showing several broken and toppled headstones. The next morning, he saw the destruction himself — 17 headstones were found to be damaged, with some missing several historical items.
On Feb. 16, Didericksen Memorial Funerals & Cremations posted a video on social media showing toppled and damaged headstones in the Grantsville City Cemetery, offering a $500 reward for anyone with information on what happened.
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On Feb. 17, Didericksen Memorial posted that the reward had increased to $850 with the help of anonymous donors.
“This is a tragic thing. This is our ancestors. This is our, you know, the people who built Grantsville,” Critchlow told ABC4.com. “We want to make sure that the respect is being shown towards them.”
One of the historical headstones that was damaged was for the last living pioneer that crossed the plains in a wagon or handcart, who died at the age of 109, Critchlow said.
When asked to describe what he was feeling, Critchlow said, “Just disbelief and disappointment.”
Many of the headstones are made out of sandstone, which Critchlow said contributed to their being easily damaged.
While several headstones were pushed over, Critchlow said most of the damage is a result of significant pieces being removed from the tops of the headstones — including a large sphere that sat atop a large headstone, according to Critchlow.
“I’m not sure how they could have carried that around, there had to be some way to transport that,” Critchlow said. “We’re just trying to get those things back.”
Mayor Critchlow told ABC4.com that police are investigating the situation, and photos will be posted to social media for families to see and be made aware of the damages. Critchlow said he is also working to see if insurance will cover the damages.
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Critchlow also said cameras are going to be installed at the cemetery in the near future, and there weren’t any there before because he said, “We just never ever had this problem.”
Critchlow pleaded for those responsible to return the stolen items to the cemetery and leave them somewhere that they would be easily found.
“We can’t remake them, you know, we just need to do the best we can to restore them,” Critchlow said. “It is really disappointing. So, hopefully, we can get these things returned, and we can get things restored and put our cemetery back into the condition that it needs to be.”
Mayor Critchlow reminded citizens to call dispatch for Grantsville City Police at (435) 882-5600 to report information.
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