Two weeks after 155 headstones were toppled at a Woodstock cemetery, progress is slow in both the investigation and the cleanup.
The damage was done on the night of May 8 or early on the morning of May 9 at Hillview Cemetery.
Police say they are not aware of any witnesses to the mischief spree and have received few actionable tips.
“Our crime unit is still actively investigating the situation,” said Const. Tyler Allard.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of information that’s been brought to our attention so far.”
As of Wednesday, about 15 of the 150 headstones had been repaired. The process is a difficult one, and can take up to 20 minutes per headstone.
“It’s happening slowly, but nonetheless it is happening,” said Rev. Lloyd Bennett of College Avenue Church, adding that relatives of some of the people whose graves were affected by the mischief have taken “some sense of calm and peace” from the knowledge that restoration work is underway.
Bennett and pastors of other churches that use Hillview have fielded calls from people offering donations or other assistance. A fundraiser to cover the costs of the repairs, featuring live music, a silent auction and a barbecue, has been scheduled for June 16.
“There is a community response here to make it better again,” Bennett said.
While police have seen a large volume of comments about the case on social media, they say most of the messages are in reaction to the crime, as opposed to possible leads.
They say they want to hear from anyone who might be able to help lead investigators to the perpetrators.
With reporting by Tina Yazdani
