Oct 29, 2008 12:16 pm US/Eastern
80-Year-Old Baby Remains Stolen From Wis. Cemetery
CANTON, Wis. (CBS) ―
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Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said someone dug a hole, measured about 20 inches wide, 54 inches long and 48 inches deep, where "Baby Locke" was laid to rest in 1925.
CBS
Days before Halloween, police in Wisconsin are investigating a real-life ghoulish crime. Someone dug up the remains of baby buried in a cemetery for more than 80 years, reports CBS station WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.
Investigators say it happened late Sunday or early Monday morning at the Pioneers Rest Cemetery near Canton, Wis.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said someone dug a hole, measured about 20 inches wide, 54 inches long and 48 inches deep, where "Baby Locke" was laid to rest in 1925. They tore the wooden casket apart and took the body.
"We all have questions on why this happened and hopefully it turns out to be some sort of a prank or somebody who thinks this is funny," Fitzgerald said.
He planned to consult with the state crime lab on what investigators should look for at the site. They already had dug deeper than the parts of the casket and found no human remains, he said.
The size and rectangular shape of the hole indicates the grave was the target of whoever dug it, he said.
"We believe they probably gained access to the casket area," he said. "If there was remains they did remove them."
The cemetery is still maintained and used but there's some history that goes well beyond the bodies buried in the ground.
Jeff Granum came to check his own family's stones when he heard what had happened. He said this has been a place for parties after stories of ghost spottings went online. Just a few years ago some tombstones were toppled.
"It's hard to believe they keep coming down here. And the idea is that they think it's haunted and it's not," Granum said.
Fitzgerald said his department will now step up security at this "out of the way" cemetery after a very personal crime unearthed some very strong feelings.
"They should dig the next graves here for next 10 years if they like it here so much," Granum said.
Some family members of the baby were told about what happened. Investigators recovered some items at the scene from the people who dug up the grave but they won't say what those items were.
Authorities are investigating the case and currently have no suspects.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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