Video of graves being desecrated leads to search for two teens, Monroe police say

A group of youths who began “destroying graves” for fun made an equally bad choice to record themselves in the act, according to police in North Carolina.

That video has found its way to the Monroe Police Department, which issued warrants Saturday, Dec. 28, for teens, one a minor, officials said in a news release.

“Earlier (Saturday) afternoon we received information about a group of individuals recording themselves destroying graves in Hillcrest Cemetery,” Monroe police said.

“Once we were made aware of the video, officers immediately went and found the damaged graves.”

Details of the number of graves damaged were not released.

Investigators say the video shows Jaykob Marquez Bracey, 18 of Monroe, was involved in “felony desecrating a gravestone.”

“The Department of Juvenile Justice has also been contacted for charges on a teenager involved,” police said.

Both suspects remain at large, police said.

Investigators credited “the community” for bringing the video to the attention of police.

Hillcrest Cemetery is about a 27-mile drive southeast from uptown Charlotte. It covers about 20 acres and “was established in 1945,” according to Findagrave.com.

This story was originally published December 29, 2024 at 5:42 AM.