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Authorities are searching for thieves who have stolen more than 50 burial vaults from a Lincolnton cemetery since December.
The most recent theft was discovered Wednesday when someone found 10 vaults missing from Forest Lawn Cemetery on East N.C. 150, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. The 10 vaults are valued at $10,000, authorities said.
But the Sheriff's Office said more than 50 vaults - worth about $30,000 - have been stolen from the cemetery in four separate thefts over a three-month span. The earlier thefts were reported on Dec. 16., Dec. 26 and Feb. 16.
Vaults are containers in which caskets that hold remains are placed during burials. But the stolen vaults had not been used and did not contain remains, the Sheriff's Office said. The vaults were being stored on the property.
Lt. Tim Johnson said investigators aren't sure why someone would steal the vaults but said it's possible the thieves may plan to resell them. The suspects in each of four thefts may be the same people, Johnson said.
This week's theft was caught on surveillance video in the cemetery. The footage shows two men in the area where the vaults are stored around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, and then a dark-colored pickup truck is seen pulling away with the vaults loaded on back.
Authorities said the pickup appears to be a Chevrolet or GMC with an extended cab.
Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call Johnson at 704-736-8864, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office at 704-732-9050 or Crime Stoppers at 704-736-8909.
