Signs of theft and vandalism were discovered two weeks ago at both the Olive Hill Memorial and Pleasant Valley cemeteries.
On June 7, relatives of deceased firefighter Gary Gene White noticed that the commemorative statue adorning his grave marker was missing.
White, a longtime member of the Grahn Volunteer Fire Department, died in a 1994 car accident while on his way to an emergency call.
The statue had been installed at his gravesite in the Pleasant Valley cemetery on Memorial Day. To date, no leads concerning the whereabouts of the statue have been found.
White's mother, Debbie White King, stated she would be willing to forego legal action and put the matter behind her if the statue were returned either to the grave marker or the Grahn Fire Department.
In a separate incident, vandals attempted to pry loose a bronze nameplate and did remove a bronze plaque from a prominent mausoleum at the Olive Hill Memorial Cemetery.
The resting place belongs to Leslie and Vada Henderson, previous owners of the former Henderson Funeral Home.
Mrs. Henderson detailed that the plaque, while removed, was not actually removed from the gravesite, though.
Her nameplate, however, will have to be repaired and the plaque will need to be reattached to the granite surface of the mausoleum.
It still remains unknown if these events are related to each other. Olive Hill police have not returned calls regarding either of the cemetery incidents.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the statue stolen from Gary Gene White's gravesite or the identities of parties involved in either incident, should contact the Olive Hill Police Department at 286-2551.
Copyright 2012 - Grayson Journal-Enquirer, Ky.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
