A memorial cross that once marked a life lost in Independence has disappeared from a tree near Grand Avenue and West Hayward Avenue, leaving behind what appears to be part of its mounting hardware.
Photos published by KCTV5's photo gallery show a blue-and-yellow cross attached to the tree, carrying messages including “Forever in Our Hearts” and “My Brother, Now My Angel.” Later images show the cross gone, with a metal fixture and fragments on the ground nearby.
What The Images Show And What They Do Not
The gallery, published Wednesday, does not identify the person memorialized, say when the cross disappeared or indicate whether a police report has been filed. It also does not establish whether the memorial was stolen, damaged or removed by someone who knew the family.
For now, the clearest clues are the location and the hardware left at the tree. The missing memorial was photographed near Grand Avenue and West Hayward Avenue in Independence, where the small roadside tribute had apparently stood as a personal reminder of someone remembered as a brother.
According to WSDOT, the contents of private roadside memorials removed from state rights of way are handled "with care and stored for 30 days at the nearest maintenance facility," where they can be retrieved. Wisconsin.Gov notes that "a memorial is any object placed in the highway right of way for the purpose of marking the site" and treats such objects on state highways as subject to removal.
