A Prince George’s County family says they were victims of the worst possible time of their lives: Several cars were broken into during a funeral at a Suitland cemetery last week.
Funeral services were held Thursday at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suitland for Harold Graves Sr., a U.S. Army veteran.
As friends and family mourned in a mausoleum on the cemetery grounds, someone was breaking into their cars.
“And the next thing, everybody was like, ‘Somebody broke into my car, somebody broke into my car,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God,'” said the widow, Lorraine Graves. “It was just devastating.”
The family is angry that there was no warning, saying this has happened before.
“It’s like they don’t care,” said daughter Lawann Ellerbee. “They say, ‘Oh, well, this is just something that happens,’ and ‘This is the third time,’ but aren’t you taking precautions to keep an eye on people?”
Prince George’s County police confirmed there were seven reported carjackings that afternoon in Cedar Hill. The cars were in the funeral home parking lot.
Japera Williams said her window was broken and her purse and laptop were taken.
“For them to choose this day or to choose a funeral to be the day or people to target people who are grieving, I think it’s very sad,” he said.
The thieves made off with wallets, keys, camera equipment and sympathy cards with donations intended for Lorraine Graves.
Family members say a Cedar Hill representative told them the cemetery is not responsible for the stolen valuables.
“Even the people directing visitors to their parking spaces could have at least said, ‘Make sure you get your valuables out of the car because we’re having some incidents of people breaking into cars,'” he said. said Ellerbee. ‘You didn’t warn us, you warned us beforehand, of anything.’
News4 found a camera in the funeral home building within sight of the parking lot, but family members said they were told it wasn’t working. Police confirmed there is no video of the crimes.
Police tell News4 there have been similar crimes in the area and they have stepped up daytime patrols. They offer up to $2,500 in cash to help solve crimes.
Cedar Hill said it is “constantly working with local law enforcement to assist with crime in the area.”
