Victim In Edmond Gravesite Thefts Speaks Out

Police in Edmond arrested two people for stealing statues and flowers from graves at a local cemetery.

It happened at the Gracelawn Cemetery near Boulevard Rd. and Danforth Rd.

Police arrested 53-year-old Alan Burton and 41-year-old Amy Michele Thompson at the cemetery after someone driving by saw the two taking items off of headstones.

Police said the two were driving a U-Haul truck, and inside they found 11 angel statues and more than 20 bouquets of flowers that had been swiped right off the gravesites.

One of the items taken was a statue of a child that stood in front of the grave of Donald Reneau of Edmond.

“I can't talk about it without tearing up, because surely they understood what those meant to the family,” said his widow, Verlyn Reneau.

12/1/2014 Related Story: Couple Arrested For Stealing From Edmond Graves

Reneau told News 9 she can't understand why anyone would want to steal anything off her husband's grave, or any other grave for that matter. She said her children placed a stone statue of a child in front of her husband's headstone to symbolize all the grandchildren they had.

“I mean it's not just taking things,” said Reneau. “It's taking something that's very important.”

The question is how many other graves are missing something? That's something both police and Reneau would like to know.

“I just think it's a sick person that would do something like that,” said Reneau. “I feel sorry for them.”

For now the place beside her husband's grave stands empty, until the statue can be found, or at least replaced.

“If it's intact, I would like it to be there,” said Reneau, with hope in her eyes. “Or if it was in such condition that it could be repaired easily, I would like the original.”

Workers at Gracelawn cemetery are encouraging families to come to the cemetery and check on their loved ones' graves to make sure nothing else is missing or damaged.

If you also have had something taken off your loved one's grave site at the Gracelawn cemetery recently, call the Edmond Police detective line at (405) 359-4472.