Grave vandalism on Long Island

BAY SHORE, N.Y. Investigators are searching for the person who broke into a mausoleum at Oakwood Cemetery and damaged the remains inside.

Police believe this incident is much more than a silly kids' prank. At this point, they are still not sure what they are dealing with. The team of crime scene officers is huddled in and around a mausoleum bearing the name John D. Adams.

Sometime over the last few days, someone broke into the stone structure, prying off the exterior handle and door. Once inside, the vandal smashed apart one of the stone covers to the vault.

There are six vaults inside the mausoleum. Some contain urns, while others have caskets. But the vandal didn't stop there. The cover of a casket was lifted, exposing skeletal remains of the deceased, along with articles of clothing.

Officers did piece together the broken stone cover, and realized the name Dunbar Adams was engraved. They believe he died in 1928.

"We're not sure at this point if anything was taken," Suffolk Detective Lieutenant Matt Sullivan said. "We did a complete search of the cemetery, including a search with canine units. We have not located any evidence that leads us to believe that anything was taken from within. But we're not sure."

On Friday, kids placing flags on headstones for Memorial Day first noticed the break in. Police are in the process of tracking down the family, the Adams, but records show the last time anyone was placed in the mausoleum was in 1996.


NEW YORK AND TRI-STATE AREA NEWS

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