Los Angeles County supervisors are sweetening the pot in the hunt for the thieves who stripped cemeteries in Compton and Carson of bronze plaques and smashed headstones, leaving families staring at bare stone and broken markers. This week, the board renewed and raised reward offers, bumping the payoff in the Woodlawn Celestial Gardens case to $25,000 and hiking the reward tied to Lincoln Memorial Park to $30,000. The move comes roughly two years after the thefts first sent volunteers and relatives scrambling to restore memorials that were never meant to be touched.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors renewed and increased the offers after investigators made little headway identifying suspects. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department or call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
What Was Taken And How Bad It Got
As detailed by the Los Angeles Times, vandals in January 2024 ripped hundreds of bronze nameplates off mausoleums and headstones, even making off with a World War II memorial plaque donated by heavyweight champion Joe Louis. They also tried to steal a 1934 bust of Abraham Lincoln. Supervisor Holly Mitchell has said the damage at the Carson site alone was pegged at more than $2 million.
Families Reeling, Caretakers Stretched Thin
Local caretakers say the losses have left some graves effectively unmarked, with loved ones returning to find names gone and stones shattered. As reported by ABC7, Woodlawn owner Celestina Bishop and volunteer Aisha Woods have been juggling repair work with new security efforts after discovering smashed markers and dozens of missing plaques, a hit that has been both personal and financial for the small teams trying to protect the grounds.
Board Steps In, Rewards Grow
County records show the Board of Supervisors first established reward offers in response to the 2024 incidents. A February 2024 board notice reestablished a $20,000 reward for the Woodlawn case, according to Los Angeles County Board documents. With arrests still limited and leads thin, supervisors voted this week to increase the payouts in hopes of shaking loose new information.
How To Get A Tip To Investigators
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the cemetery thefts to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department or reach Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477, NBC Los Angeles reports. Officials say even small details, such as vehicle descriptions, photos or names of scrap buyers, could help connect the vandalism to suspects and ultimately lead to arrests.
