GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Police are investigating vandalism at a city-owned cemetery overnight. The City of Grand Rapids tells FOX 17 that more than 50 grave sites were impacted.
On Friday morning, the Grand Rapids Police Department responded to reports of damage at the Woodlawn Cemetery, which is located at 2530 Kalamazoo Ave. SE and is owned by the City of Grand Rapids.
Both Grand Rapids Police and the City of Grand Rapids said they were investigating vandalism to monuments, headstones, statues and flowerpots overnight.
"I didn't imagine it would be this destructive," Betsy Eardley, who has family buried throughout Woodlawn, told FOX 17 Friday afternoon.
"How did they do it? How could they do that? It makes no sense to me."
After learning of the destruction, Eardley drove down to the cemetery to make sure her loved ones were not affected.
"It brings up a lot of hurt," Eardley said.
"This is a Catholic cemetery. So, you would think people would have regards for that… evidently, not”
The grave sites hit were located throughout the West portion of the cemetery. Woodlawn is split into two sections by Kalamazoo Ave. It does not appear as though any sites were disturbed in the Eastern partition.
While FOX 17 initially heard rumors circulating about vandalism happening at another city-owned cemetery, both GRPD and the city said Friday that no other cemeteries were involved.
GRPD told FOX 17 that it so far has "no leads" on potential suspects or persons of interest.
Anybody with potential information about who is responsible should call the Grand Rapids Police Department at (616) 456-3400 or Silent Observer anonymously.
The incident remains under investigation by the Grand Rapids Police Department.
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