KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — A cemetery in Kershaw County was vandalized, causing heartbreak for families. Now, one family has discovered their loved ones' site was also affected.
"It's just hard to describe really," says Margaret Capell, whose' parents' gravesite was vandalized.
Capell struggled to find the words to describe the moment she saw her mother and father's headstone and vase ripped from their gravesite at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
"You're angry; you're upset that somebody could go in there and do something to your loved ones," she adds.
Not only is she frustrated, but she's also disturbed that someone would take from her parents' final resting place.
"Well, mom and dad's was fairly close to the road, so I guess theirs was maybe an easy one to grab," she said.
The Capells aren't the only family feeling the pain.
In August, Sheriff Lee Boan said over 40 gravesites had headstones or vases taken from them, and the cemetery was estimating close to $25,000 worth of damage.
Capell said she was told she would have to pay to replace it, which could force her to sell her and her brother's plot to cover the expenses.
"Like I said, they said it would be $4,000 to replace it, so we're going to have to wait and see; that's a little bit hefty for us right now," she said. "There's four lots there that we bought when it was myself and my younger brother there; we may try to sell those other two lots to help replace it."
Cappell said she plans to speak with an attorney.
News19 contacted the cemetery for an interview, and they said they had "no comment."
Sheriff Boan said that video cameras at the cemetery were unavailable during the incident. So far, law enforcement hasn't made any arrests in the case.
Anyone with information about this or other crimes in the South Carolina Midlands can call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.