The Elmendorf City Cemetery in Texas has become the site of a chilling crime after a family discovered the headstone of their loved one, Larry Alvarez, was stolen. Ann Martinez, Alvarez's aunt, was in disbelief by the theft. "My first thing was like, what the hell are they doing, taking his headstone? Why?" Martinez recounted in a statement obtained by KENS 5. The loss was discovered just shortly after the family gathered to commemorate what would have been Larry's 22nd birthday.
The desecration at the resting place of Alvarez appears to be part of an unsettling pattern of vandalism and disrespect. Reports by the family have surfaced of previous incidents including the site being urinated on and shot at. "Larry's gravesite has been urinated on. Larry's gravesite has been vandalized by other things that have been put there and have been broken into pieces. And his graveside has also been shot at," Martinez revealed in a interview with FOX San Antonio. The recurring attacks have struck on significant dates, such as birthdays and death anniversaries, which might suggest these are targeted acts.
The Elmendorf City Police have assured the family that they are to actively investigating the case, following up on multiple leads. Still, Martinez voiced the deep anguish and loss the family felt. "It broke me down, again," she said in the interview with KENS 5. She continued, expressing how the event left her shaken and struggling for breath.
Martinez and her family are calling for justice, pleading for whatever information might lead to the resolution of this painful mystery. "I want whoever took it to be held accountable for it. I do know it's a felony. So I do want whoever took it to be taken to the fullness of the courts," Martinez stated firmly to FOX San Antonio. In an act of desperation, the police have even suggested exhumation due to the ongoing vandalism, a suggestion that understandably has Martinez asking, "Why should we though? My mother paid for the plot."
