GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A mess of headstones and trampled flowers are still strewn on a slope in a Grand Rapids cemetery.
On late Friday night or early Saturday morning, at least eleven headstones at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery were knocked off their foundations and additional items — vases and a grave marker for a veteran — were damaged.
As of Tuesday morning, the Grand Rapids Police Department said its investigation into the alleged vandalism is "ongoing."
A statement from the Diocese of Grand Rapids Catholic Cemeteries, posted on a sign at the cemetery, says it is working with the department and will contact the families of those whose gravesites were damaged.
"Disgusted. Sad that it happened to their graves," said John Rusilowski, whose "big Polish family" is buried at the cemetery.
Rusilowski says his father, mother and sister's headstones were knocked over this past weekend. He found out about the incident through his nephew, who was contacted by the cemetery.
"I got in the car, came out here," he said. "Yes, they're all turned over."
Rusilowski says he visits the cemetery once a month and most recently did so on Thursday, less than a day or two before the incident happened.
"I know it's going to get fixed, but why would anybody want to do that?" Rusilowski said.
On Tuesday, several people with family buried at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery drove through its burial plots to see if the headstones of their loved ones were damaged.
"I just want to stress the importance of welcoming the families," said Rory Beth Novosad, managing director of cemeteries for the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids. "Just to call, just to stop in for that reassurance of whether their family's marker was affected by what happened."
"We will work with the families, because that is our top priority," she said.
Currently, the damage at the cemetery cannot yet be cleaned up as the police investigation is still ongoing and insurance adjusters still need to assess the situation.
"I hope they catch the people that did it," Rusilokowski said.
