2 charged over hundreds of thefts from mausoleums and cemeteries in Ontario

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Police recovered 600 stolen items and arrested two suspects in the thefts of jewelry, decorative urns and other valuables from mausoleums and cemeteries in Toronto and southern Ontario.

Halton police said Monday that officers investigated more than 300 thefts over the last two months in which thieves targeted eight mausoleums and cemeteries during daytime hours.

They allegedly tricked property managers by posing as grieving family members wishing to tour the premises and used tools to unlock and open niches without causing visible damage.

“This was a crime against places of peace and remembrance,” deputy police chief Roger Wilkie said. “A crime that has inflicted deep emotional pain and heartbreak on families already grieving for their loved ones, families who have now experienced violation, anger, disrespect and a painful resurgence of their loss.”

Some of the stolen items were sold, melted down or discarded, and Wilkie said the suspects dumped some people's cremated ashes.

A 45-year-old man and 31-year-old woman were arrested in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Nov. 7. They were charged with dozens of offenses including indignity to a dead body, theft and possession of property obtained by crime.

Wilkie said more victims were likely.

“Our hope today is to identify and support those families, provide closure and reconnect loved ones with recovered property wherever possible," he said.