Bronx Man Charged In Grave Robbery, Vandalism At Stratford Cemetery

STRATFORD, Conn. — A man from the Bronx was arrested Friday after desecrating a Stratford cemetery, stealing ashes from their final resting place and using the remains in religious ceremonies last year, the Connecticut Post said.

The vandalism occurred in June 2016 at Stratford's Union Cemetery. This empty vault once held 18 cremation urns.
Photo Credit: *Facebook*

This empty vault once held 18 cremation urns at Stratford's Union Cemetery. Broken pieces of the memorial were strewn at the site when the vandalism occurred in June 2016.
Photo Credit: *Facebook*

This empty vault once held 18 cremation urns at Stratford's Union Cemetery.
Photo Credit: *Facebook*

Daily Voice

09/09/2017 12:30 p.m.

In all, the cremation urns containing the remains of 18 people were stolen from a vault at Union Cemetery on June 23, 2016, police said. The vault was smashed in the process, police said.

The suspected grave robber, Aneudy Davila, 36, was charged with interference with a cemetery, criminal mischief and sixth-degree larceny, then released on $5,000 bond, the Post said.

A witness told police that Davila’s girlfriend had conducted rituals involving dead chickens and cigars with the ashes as part of practice of Santeria, a Caribbean/African religion, the Connecticut Post said.

At the time of the vandalism,many suspected that the urns had been stolen to sell as scrap metal.

The vault was opened and memorial name plates were smashed in the incident at the historic cemetery behind the Stratford United Methodist Church.

Cemetery staff repaired the vault and replaced all of the name plates, but the remains and the urns have never been recovered.

Click here for the story at the Connecticut Post.

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