DELMAR, Del.- Fifteen headstones have been knocked over at St. Stephens Cemetery in Delmar, according to cemetery director Joy Smith.
"You wonder who would have done such a thing," Smith said. "First you think, did they just fall by [themselves]? But then you realize you realize so many couldn't be down at one time."
Smith said she has been making reaching out to families of loved ones whose headstones were overturned. She has also had several families call her.
"We are going to replace them or put them back up, but it's just a matter of the time and it's an expense," Smith said.
Delmar Police Lt. Wade Alexander said that while there are no suspects yet, the department is pursuing a few leads. Alexander said that given the size and weight of the headstones, these crimes were committed by either one strong person, or a group of smaller kids.
"It just goes to show the lack of upbringing these individuals have who are committing these acts," Alexander said.
Smith noticed multiple head stones knocked back in February of 2022.
"It's very hard to see," she said. "When you first glance at the cemetery it looks fine, but then the more you look you see it's down. The stones are down. And that's when we realized we have an issue."
Smith said that since this latest incident, the cemetery has installed multiple cameras in the trees overlooking the property. Delmar Town Councilman Gregory Smith says it is upsetting to know something like this is happening in Delmar.
"'I'm 74-years-old and I think of a cemetery as a sacred place," he said. "You don't damage headstones. You don't go in a disrespect the people that are here."
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Delmar Police Department at 410-896-3131.
