Thieves target Pflugerville cemetery

PFLUGERVILLE (KXAN) - Hundreds of flower vases have disappeared from a Pflugerville cemetery and now police are investigating.

The thefts are happening at the Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery in Pflugerville, where more than 400 gravesites have been targets.

"My mother always cleans the plaque here,"said Carla Ransom. "She takes very good care of it."

Ransom visits her father's grave as often as she can, but on a visit with her mother last week, the two noticed something was missing.

"We came so my mom could clean the plaque and put out fresh flowers and we saw that the vase wasn't there and we saw that all the vases were gone," said Ransom.

There are empty holes where vases full of flowers should be at the Capital Parks cemetery.

"Talk about the most defenseless people there are, they're laying here and they just deserve a little dignity," Ransom said, while visiting her father's grave.

Close to four hundred vases have disappeared in recent months.

"It breaks my heart to hear what they're going through and wishing that I could do something to make it better or stop it for them," said cemetery General Manager Rob Shalvey.

Shalvey said thefts of the bronze vases have been on the rise for years. They are 85 percent copper and the value of that metal continues to go up. The cemetery is struggling to figure out a solution.

"Its been very hard on us and we have to try to balance security with keeping the place to be a place that's a place of peace and comfort," said Shalvey. "'We lock the cemetery at night- we have gates on the entrances, fortunately enough, for most decent people, that sends the right message."

These vases cost families $295 initially and to replace them is $60.