‘Like they’ve been violated’: Dozens of headstones broken at string of Modesto cemeteries
Vandals broke more than 40 headstones last weekend at a string of connected Modesto cemeteries, leaving families and workers with a sense of distress in the aftermath.
Five cemeteries sit connected along Scenic Drive near downtown Modesto. While at least three had damaged headstones this week, most were at Modesto Citizens Cemetery.
Lynne Wagner, who serves as the cemetery manager on a volunteer basis, said that since Monday, she and her two part-time staffers have found 27 damaged headstones and counting.
“We keep walking around and finding them,” Wagner said Wednesday.
Modesto Pioneer and St. Stanislaus Catholic cemeteries also were hit, but only a few headstones were damaged at each.
Both Modesto police and insurance companies have been contacted, Wagner said, but as of Wednesday, there was no lead on who may have knocked over the stones.
This is the first time in a while that so much cemetery property has been damaged, Wagner said. Each headstone will cost about $50 to $100 to repair.
The headstones that were damaged were upright, not markers that lie in the ground, and many of them were from the early 20th century. They were broken into pieces from being pushed off their bases.
A few newer headstones also had decorative additions knocked over. One woman told Wagner she discovered broken vases at her mother’s grave when she went to put flowers in them for the anniversary of her death.
As she surveyed the damage Wednesday, Wagner also found a ceramic animal smashed into so many pieces she couldn’t identify it. She thought it might be a pig or a rabbit until she realized she’d also picked up pieces of wings.
For Wagner, seeing the fallen headstones was an emotional experience. It’s disrespectful, she said.
“It’s like they’ve been violated,” Wagner said. “Sometimes the loved ones don’t get out here very often, but they ought to be able to feel (the graves) are safe.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 7:19 PM.
