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Elderly woman's car broken into at Suitland cemetery
An elderly woman says she was targeted by thieves at a cemetery in Prince George’s County while she was visiting her son’s gravestone. The woman who goes by Ms. Hattie told Fox 5 she was at Cedar Hill Cemetery on July 28th to mourn her late son on his birthday with her 80-year-old husband, when thieves smashed the window of their minivan and took her purse.
SUITLAND, Md. - An elderly woman says she was targeted by thieves at a cemetery in Prince George’s County. She and her husband were there visiting their son’s gravestone when the suspects went after her car.
The 78-year-old woman is shaken up, shocked and hurt that thieves would target her in a cemetery of all places. She hopes that sharing her story might somehow help her get some of her belongings back.
The shocking robbery:
There’s no "good" time or place to be robbed, but in a cemetery, while mourning your child, is easily one of the worst.
The victim, only going by her first name Hattie, went to Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suitland on July 28 with her 80-year-old husband to mourn their late son on his birthday.
They sang to him, left him flowers and balloons, but when they went back to their car, they were met with an awful sight.
"My windows were all broken up," she told FOX 5.
Thieves shattered their minivan window and stole her purse.
"At the moment, I felt like I was just taken advantage of because I’m a senior," Hattie said. "I’m 78, going on 79. He’s 80, and we can’t run."
Hattie said the thieves got away with cash, credit cards, gift cards, her driver's license, social security, Medicare, AAA cards and much more.
"I could’ve been watched," she said. "I felt violated."
Hoping for help:
Hattie said the thieves used her card at Target and at her credit union.
She’s spent every day since trying to replace her documents and get her belongings back but she said she still hasn’t been told whether the cemetery even caught the thieves on camera.
Cedar Hill provided FOX 5 with the following statement:
"We understand that visitors to our park were the victims of a crime, and this crime has been reported to the police to investigate. Cedar Hill staff will cooperate fully in any police investigation and encourage anyone with information to share it with police.
Additionally, we encourage anyone who observes suspicious or criminal activity on site to report it to the police immediately. It is important that our grounds remain a safe place for quiet and peaceful reflection.
If a visitor to our park would like staff assistance while on our grounds, please visit our cemetery offices, and we would be happy to assist you."
In a statement to FOX 5, the cemetery said it was aware of the incident and claimed it will "cooperate fully in any police investigation and encourage anyone with information to share it with police."
What's next:
Prince George’s County Police confirmed they were on scene to investigate but they have not yet arrested any suspects.
"I just felt violated because my son is going to be here," she told FOX 5. "I don’t know whether someone is going to come back."
Hattie said this has kept her up at night. She badly wants more answers about what happened, and to know these thieves will be found, so she can visit her son in peace.