11 Ways Cemeteries Are Keeping Criminals From Stealing Vases for Scrap Metal

Last week, authorities in Council Bluffs, Iowa arrested four members of an eight-person theft ring accused of stealing more than 1,000 bronze vases from gravesites in the Omaha, Nebraska metro area. The arrest stemmed from a tip from someone reporting a “vehicle full of metal vases” at a scrap metal recycling center. Authorities recovered around 800 of the stolen vases, which are valued at up to $600 each.

This particular incident resulted in the return of the majority of the stolen items, but most cemeteries aren’t so lucky. Over the last year alone, thousands of U.S. vase thefts have been reported by the media, but the true number of incidents that occur in private, public, rural, and urban cemeteries cannot be measured. Even without an exact number, the deathcare community must recognize that cemetery thefts are a growing epidemic. While there’s no foolproof way to keep the lowest of the low from stealing from the dead and grieving, here are 11 possible solutions for deterring theft and potentially recovering stolen vases before they can be converted to cash:

Physical security

We know — adding tall or electrified fences, security lights, locking gates, cameras, or even human security guards can get pricey, but it’s the most often-recommended theft deterrent recommended by authorities. They’re also a good way to reassure families that you’re taking the security of their loved ones’ resting places seriously, and at least trying your best to prevent theft.

Polyurethane vases

Bronze is a beautiful and durable material for both markers and vases, but it’s also a magnet for metal-seeking thieves. What if there was a vase made of an alternative material that was just as lovely and durable as bronze, still complemented the marker, and was of absolutely no interest to criminals? Granger Industries offers ForeverSafe polyethylene vases that meet all of these criteria. These models are molded to look exactly like the metal and stone versions and are built to last with 100% American-made materials.

AirTags

In 2023, a Texas family took matters into their own hands after replacing a loved one’s stolen vase multiple times. They attached an Apple AirTag tracking device to the vase, and when it was once again pilfered, they provided the login information to local authorities. Using the account’s GPS data, police located not only that family’s stolen item, but also three of four suspects and more than $62,000 worth of vases stolen over the previous few months. Of course, at about $25 each, adding AirTags to every vase in a cemetery could be quite costly, but attaching even a lower-priced tracking device, like this $12 version, to random vases could be a sensible solution.

Zinc vases

Although they look a little different than traditional bronze vases, zinc versions like this one from American Funeral Supply are a lovely option for theft-prone cemeteries. Materials like zinc or galvanized metals are less attractive to thieves hoping to cash in on stolen metals. 

Engraving

A California family whose loved one’s bronze vase was stolen from a cemetery in 2015 decided to have the deceased name engraved on the replacement. This option could provide some peace of mind, but as the local news reporter to whom they reported the theft found out, this might not deter theft or dishonest scrap metal dealers. The reporter actually went undercover and tried to sell a $1600 bronze vase to several scrap metal shops; although most told him it was unlawful to accept these, at least one offered him $8 for the vase.

Chains

Last November, metal vases valued at about $1,000 each began disappearing from gravesites in a gated San Diego cemetery. Again, families came up with their own theft-deterring options; in this case, they used chains to secure vases to monuments. Chains aren’t necessarily a novel idea, as many vases have been equipped with a thin and easily-snapped chain to tether it to the base for decades. However, thicker chains, perhaps attached by bolts secured in cement (as shown in these tips for securing outdoor metal sculptures) might prove a little more difficult to break. Although frustrated families may opt for a less-discreet option like wrapping a chain around the vase and securing it to an anchor point on the monument, that’s probably not a practical solution for most properties.

Microdots

Similar to AirTags and engraving, microdots won’t help to keep a vase from being stolen, but they could help law enforcement track them down afterwards. Microdots are tiny discs that are nearly invisible to the naked eye at less than one millimeter in diameter. Each dot is marked with a unique PIN code that is stored in a secured database to link property to its owner; this information can be read by a magnifier.  Microdots can be sprayed on the entire surface of larger items such as vehicles or bicycles, brushed onto guns or electronics, or applied with a microdot marker. Manufacturers such as Theftmark.com offers microdot kits for less than $10 that could be applied to a large number of vases. This company also advises placing notices that items are marked with microdot technology to deter would-be thieves.

Adhesives and epoxies

The design concept of most vase-equipped markers allows a family to choose whether they want to use the vase or hide it within the monument. But for those who elect to keep a vase upright perpetually, it’s possible to secure it to the base with an industrial-strength, heavy-duty epoxy or adhesive, as Legacy Headstones describes here. As with the chain solution above, a very determined thief with proper tools might find a way to bypass this security measure, but after spending a few minutes tugging on a few of these secured vases with no success, they might just give up and go elsewhere.

Drones

The BBC reports that a police force in Wales has begun using “thermal imaging cameras attached to drones and binoculars capable of picking out suspected treasure thieves.” In this case, authorities are using the technology to keep so-called “nighthawkers” from metal-detecting and digging up ancient archaeologically-significant artifacts that are thought to be hidden on the historic grounds, but it could definitely work for vase-hawkers, too. Thermal drones specifically equipped for law enforcement and firefighting agencies can be quite an investment, but several highly-rated amateur versions are available for $300 to $9,000.

Legislation

Sure, this solution might be a longshot, depending on how diligent one might be in garnering the attention of lawmakers and the level of interest by law enforcement, but it is possible to add or amend state or local laws to penalize scrap metal dealers who knowingly accept and pay for certain types of metals. In 2013, Utah’s state legislature approved a bill that increased penalties for taking in probably-stolen “regulated metals,” including street signs, manhole covers, and “grave site monument vases and monument plaques.” Most states have similar laws, including Missouri, which adds that “scrap metal dealers need a statement on cemetery letterhead to accept a gravesite vase for salvage.”

Rewards

There wouldn’t have to be laws like the one in Utah if every scrap metal dealer was 100% honest and always diligent about what types of metals they accept and from whom. Personally visiting your area’s scrap metal dealers to remind them of existing regulations and penalties — or even offering a “finder’s fee” for turning in vase thieves — might make at least a small impact.

Obviously, some of these options might be too expensive, time-consuming, or complicated to try, or a company’s internal regulations might prevent their implementation. However, perhaps these ideas might inspire your own creative solutions.

Trash Metal & English Oaks | 4M #133

Welcome to the hundred-and-thirty-third edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #133, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!

Today’s 4M is sponsored by Return Home, an incredibly cool and kind company committed to sharing all things Terramation with Connecting Directors readers. 

Do you know NOR?

Natural organic reduction.

Human composting.

Whatever you call it in your neck of the woods, it’s the next wave in disposition … and you need to have your surfboard ready to go.

Micah Truman and the Return Home team are on a mission to educate the world on all things Terramation (a beautiful term they coined for the process) one video at a time. Seven states have legalized Terramation, and more than a dozen others are working on legislation. Even if your state isn’t on that list, the families you serve will be asking questions. Micah and the Return Homies are here to help you answer them.

Let’s start with a quick tour of the Return Home facility, with the one-and-only Micah as your tour guide. 

So … How old do you think Tully is? Email info@returnhome.com with your best guess! Micah promised a prize to the winner — let’s hold him to it!

What was your favorite part of the video?

• Micah sniffing burlap bags of soil
• Jake not working
• Learning where the bathrooms were located

Stay tuned for more from Micah and the team, and send any and all questions you’d like for us to cover in future videos to info@returnhome.com!

Interested in Partnering With Return Home? Schedule a Call With Our Team Below!

$300k trash

A former cemetery employee has pleaded guilty to theft after netting more than $300,000 from selling cremation metals to recyclers over five years. Apparently, the 67-year-old Minnesota man regarded the “scorched metals” as “trash” and therefore fair game for his own profit-making enterprise. The cemetery, however, thought differently, labeling the metal as stolen property; the man was found guilty of “theft by swindle” and will be on probation for five years.

Demolition scheduled

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a date to demolish the Return to Nature facility in Penrose, Colorado, where nearly 200 bodies were found in varying stages of decomposition in October. The demo, which is now scheduled for April 16, has been delayed due to weather and “logistical issues,” including finding a landfill that would accept the debris. Two sites in Fremont County, Colorado, where the facility is located, refused, but the EPA reached an agreement with a landfill in a nearby county.

Forever love

A new policy pertaining to the disposition of fetuses in Hong Kong has created a precious opportunity for grieving parents. Prior to 2018, fetal remains under 24 weeks were classified as medical waste and disposed of accordingly. Thanks in great part to the lobbying efforts of a group of moms, the law was changed to provide free cremation services to fetal remains under 24 weeks — even those that go unclaimed. In 2022, the Home of Forever Love became the first and only crematory in Hong Kong to handle those cremations. The city also provides several locations, including one called the Garden of Forever Love, for permanent placement and memorialization of these babies’ cremains.

No satisfaction from that

For years, seemingly-immortal Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has alternately confirmed then denied a strange rumor that he snorted the ashes of his deceased father. In 2007, one publication quoted Richards as saying he mixed his father Bert’s cremains with “a little bit of blow.” Later, he denied the whole thing, claiming the publication had “taken liberties” with his statement. However, in his 2010 memoir, Richards explained that he had planned to scatter his father’s cremains among the roots of a newly-planted English Oak tree. When he opened the container, the wind caught a bit of the ashes. “I couldn’t brush him off, so I wiped my finger over it and snorted the residue,” Richards explained in the book. “Ashes to ashes, father to son. He is now growing oak trees and would love me for it.”

Too controversial

We all know that getting any type of legislation passed is never a walk in the park; so many factors can impact the path and potential success of any bill. For example, Illinois legislators are currently faced with 35 bills — too many to consider at one time, especially in an election year. So, to determine which issues get attention, legislators are prioritizing allocation bills (those that are requesting a chunk of the state’s budget) and postponing others that are more “controversial.” Unfortunately, the state’s human composting bill falls under the latter category. “We’ve taken a look at the end-of-life bill and a few others, but I think those controversial bills will be sidelined because of the election year,” one senator told a local outlet.

Bringing barrows back, yeah

A UK undertaker has received approval to bring back a “very unique and timeless” disposition method: burial mounds … but with a twist. The tradition of placing bodies in stone or wooden vaults and burying those in large mounds of soil was last practiced in the Stone and Bronze Ages. A.W. Lymn Funeral Home says they will recreate the “barrow” structure of the mounds like the one above, but instead of bodies in vaults, they will place cremains inside.

We love a good listicle

Mental Floss recently published a video in its “Misconceptions” series entitled “Misconceptions About Funerals,” in which host Justin Dodd shares seven common “laugh-a-minute myths” about deathcare, including:

• Bodies are not always transported in hearses;
• You need to buy a casket from the funeral home;
• You can’t have a funeral for someone who is already cremated; 
• Funeral expenses are covered in wills or insurance; and
• Funeral processions have to end at a cemetery (they could end in your backyard instead).