Bayview Cemetery employees contacted police on November 19 to report that multiple headstones had been knocked down. In total 47 headstones were shoved over with the largest weighing nearly one ton. Based on the sheer size of the largest memorials we believe that more than one person was responsible.
The damage was caused during hours of darkness between Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Based on the trail of destruction we believe that the criminals entered and exited the cemetery on foot.
This is not the first time that this type of damage has occurred, but it has been a few years since anything of this magnitude has happened. There is no reason to believe that any particular group was targeted.
The crew that provides maintenance at the city-owned cemetery estimate that it will take nearly three weeks to correct the damage. Our city employees recognize the emotional impact of this behavior and are committed to not only restoring the sites properly but identifying the responsible criminals and holding them accountable.
If you have information that may lead us to those responsible for this act please call our tip phone at 360-778-8611, or you can provide information online at www.cob.org/tips
