Mounties are looking for the thief who broke into a Kelowna cemetery last month and stole 20 wall-mounted bronze bud vases from gravesites.
The vases are about the size of a hand and made of bronze. They were taken from Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery, located in the 1900 block of Bernard Avenue, sometime between Feb. 6 and Feb. 15, RCMP said in a press release distributed Monday.
The cemetery gates are locked to vehicles at night, but foot traffic can still enter. Cemetery staff told police the vases were secured by adhesive on the walls for people to place flowers at their loved ones’ graves.
Const. Mike Della-Paolera said it’s a costly and emotionally taxing loss for those directly affected.
“They’re worth a lot but they also (have) sentimental value,” Della-Paolera said.
“People pay for this so they have a place to go and leave something for their loved ones. And now they’re missing and we don’t know where they’re gone. But they’re there. They’re made of bronze and that’s a valuable metal in the metal world.”
Ultimately, however, the RCMP said the cruelty in this theft sets it apart from others.
“It’s difficult to understand how someone could commit a crime like this and be so disrespectful towards the deceased, and their grieving loved ones,” said Const. Mike Della-Paolera in a press release.
The Kelowna RCMP said anyone with information can contact the detachment at 250-762-3300, reference file 2023-8573, or contact Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at crimestoppers.net.
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