Savannah-Chatham police were investigating Tuesday after a cemetery on Savannah’s east side was disturbed sometime late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
Police spokesman Julian Miller confirmed remains were missing from the Hillcrest Abbey East cemetery on Wheaton Street at Skidaway Road and that a mausoleum had been broken into. He said police would not be releasing further information Tuesday.
Throughout the afternoon officers investigated at the scene, where Hillcrest personnel blocked entrances to the cemetery with vehicles.
Citing an open police investigation, cemetery employees declined to comment on the incident but indicated Hillcrest’s parent company, New Jersey-based Memorial Properties, would release a statement at a later time once the police investigation was completed.
Miller said late Tuesday evening that police were not immediately releasing the identity of the missing remains, whether a family had been notified, or if investigators had determined potential suspects or their motives. It was not clear if security would be increased at Hillcrest Abbey East or other cemeteries in the area.
Miller said Tuesday night police were continuing their investigation into the incident.