Three Indianapolis residents are accused of running a cross-country cemetery theft ring that targeted cremated remains and mausoleums in at least nine states, prising heirlooms and wedding rings from niches meant to hold nothing but ashes and memories. The Orange County Sheriff's Office says 33-year-old Drake Lee Milam, his 32-year-old girlfriend Porsche Bancroft, and Bancroft's 52-year-old mother, 52-year-old Angela Garrett, traveled together from Indiana to pull off the alleged spree before their arrests this week.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, the trio was arrested in connection with the alleged multistate cemetery theft scheme, with deputies accusing the group of stealing jewelry and family heirlooms from gravesites and mausoleums across several states. As reported by WFTV, authorities believe the group targeted cemetery niches holding cremated remains and mausoleums across Florida, Texas, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, New York, and New Jersey.
Twenty Florida Cases, $35,000 in Losses
Investigators have tied the trio to at least 20 known cases across Florida alone, spanning Orange, Seminole, and Hillsborough counties as well as the city of Winter Park, with the stolen property valued at more than $35,000, per the same WFTV report. Officials noted that figure doesn't capture the emotional toll on families who discovered their loved ones' resting places had been disturbed.
Milam and Garrett were taken into custody by law enforcement in Indiana, while Bancroft surrendered directly at the Seminole County Jail in Florida, the station reported. Before the arrests came together, Central Florida Crimeline had offered a reward of up to $5,000 for tips leading to the suspects' apprehension, according to WFTV.
Statewide Prosecutors Take the Case
Because the alleged crimes span multiple Florida judicial circuits, the case has landed with the Florida Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution, which handles offenses impacting two or more circuits, the outlet's report notes. Additional charges or extradition requests could still surface in the other states where the trio allegedly struck, though no such filings have been reported yet.
Under Florida Statute § 872.02, willfully and knowingly disturbing the contents of a grave or tomb is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, while injuring or removing a tomb or monument is a third-degree felony. Florida law defines a tomb broadly enough to include mausoleums and columbarium niches. Separately, grand theft of property valued between $20,000 and $100,000 is classified as a second-degree felony under Florida Statute § 812.014, carrying its own maximum sentence of up to 15 years.
Jewelry, Not Just Scrap Metal
What sets this spree apart from other recent cemetery crimes is the target: personal keepsakes like wedding rings placed alongside cremated remains, rather than the bronze vases or plaques thieves more commonly strip for scrap value. Hoodline previously reported on 80 stolen grave vases in Hillsboro, Oregon, and a $130,000 graveyard marker theft scheme uncovered in Atlanta, both part of a broader national pattern of cemetery property crimes.
Because mausoleum niches are visited infrequently, the Orange County Sheriff's Office has publicly urged local families with relatives interred in mausoleums or columbariums to check those niches and confirm heirlooms remain secure. Officials have acknowledged that undiscovered thefts are common under these circumstances, meaning the number of victims and the total financial damage could still climb as more families inspect their loved ones' resting places.
