200 bronze vases stolen from East Bay cemetery

LAFAYETTE, Calif. - One East Bay cemetery is reporting hundreds of thefts from grave sites. 

The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department said nearly 200 bronze vases were stolen in Lafayette from Oakmont Memorial Park.

The department says a memorial bench was also vandalized.

Deputies said they don't have any leads on suspects or a timeline on when the vases were stolen.

Bronze is selling for about $1.55 a pound, according to Scrap Metal Buyers, while copper is selling for about $2 a pound. 

Stealing precious metals from cemeteries is not unique.

In Southern California, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported in January 2024 that someone stole more than $2 million in bronze headstones and nameplates from the Woodlawn Celestial Gardens cemetery in Compton and the Lincoln Cemetery in Carson. 

The sheriff's department said, in addition, a prominent bronze statue of President Abraham Lincoln dedicated in 1934 had been damaged by suspects who seemed to be trying to remove a bronze plaque from the façade of the statue.