About 80 bronze flower vases vanished from graves at Fir Lawn Memorial Park in Hillsboro, after staff arrived Monday to find row after row of headstones missing their metal memorial pieces. The vases are described as roughly 10 inches tall and about 10 pounds each, and crews are now walking the grounds to figure out exactly how many have been taken. Hillsboro Police have opened an investigation under case number 26-13837 and are asking anyone with information to call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111. Families and cemetery staff say the theft has been deeply upsetting as they try to account for the missing memorials.
Police released case details and asked for tips
In a post to Facebook on Tuesday, Hillsboro Police said cemetery staff first discovered the missing vases on Monday and estimated that about 80 were taken, listing the case as 26-13837. Investigators are looking for any video, photos or other leads that might show when the vases were removed or where they ended up, according to the alert shared by the Hillsboro Police Department.
Vase thefts are a recurring problem
Similar cemetery thefts have been reported around the country, with suspects in some cases stripping out bronze or brass vases to sell the metal for scrap and, in a few incidents, taking hundreds of vases from multiple cemeteries in a single spree. Coverage of those cases has noted that investigators often check scrap-metal resale, pawn and salvage markets when they start looking for the missing items, as reported by KETV.
Replacement costs and community impact
Replacing grave vases can be costly, with some reports putting the price at roughly $70 to several hundred dollars apiece depending on style. For families, the emotional punch of finding a loved one’s memorial stripped is often far worse than the price tag. Coverage of similar incidents describes cemeteries and relatives scrambling to buy replacements, add cameras or install anti-theft hardware after losses like the case where grave robbers hit a Joelton cemetery and more than 40 brass vases were reported stolen.
How to help
Anyone who saw suspicious activity at Fir Lawn Memorial Park, has video from the area, or notices bronze vases being offered for sale locally is asked to call Hillsboro Police non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111. The cemetery lists its office at 1070 W Main St for questions and can be reached through its contact page, and the department’s contact information is available on the City of Hillsboro police page. See Fir Lawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home and City of Hillsboro for contact details.
The investigation remains active under case number 26-13837, and police say they welcome any tip that could help return the memorial pieces to families or identify suspects. As staff and relatives continue checking plots, authorities are urging anyone with even a small bit of information to reach out so investigators can follow up.
