Cemetery molesters randomly damage hundreds of graves - horror among relatives

The perpetrator did not even shrink from the final resting place of children: up to 150 graves in the Schongau forest cemetery were damaged.

The police have suspicions.

Schongau

- Empty grave lights, torn out flower sticks, broken ornaments - angels in particular had to suffer from the cemetery molester.

They lie with chopped off wings and heads next to the graves.

The perpetrator - apparently without a target - raged across the Schongau forest cemetery.

In the case of urn graves, he levered away the cover plates lying in the ground.

Grave decorations were either thrown next to the graves on the path or in the hedge.

We are absolutely stunned.

Bettina Schade, City of Schongau

"We are absolutely stunned". That is Bettina Schade's first sentence. The managing officer and Daniel Felsmann from the Schongau cemetery administration, had convinced themselves of the damage on Wednesday. At first glance, these are not very large - if you look at it in a purely material sense. But someone tampered with many of the final resting places, destroyed a place of remembrance, simply disturbed the peace of the dead. "For many who have lost a loved one, the cemetery is a place to say goodbye, the last resting place that remains," said Schade. The mourners would often spend a lot of time preparing the grave. Someone did not shy away from it, however, and deliberately started to tamper with the graves. Also graves of children.And the resting places of the stillborn children. It is difficult to assess what is behind it, such a shame. Some graves are badly affected, others not at all. There are apparently no targeted attacks on a family or a group of people, not even on a specific row. “It is completely random, a system cannot be identified,” said Schade.

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The covers of urn graves at the forest cemetery were lifted away or turned over.

© Hans-Helmut Herold

“I cried all night” - relatives are appalled by the desecrations of the graves

“It's so horrible.

What is going on in this person? ”Matthias Ringelsbacher asks himself, who leads to the grave of a two-year-old.

No angel is in its place anymore.

Like at the grave of his daughter Diana, who died in a car accident at the age of 27.

“Not even the dead have their rest,” he says, and doesn't even know how to put everything into words.

“I cried all night,” says his wife Marion.

“Why do you have to endure that?” Matthias Ringelsbacher cannot understand any of this.

For him, "a heartache" has arisen.

Matthias Ringelsbacher's sister and brother-in-law, Charlotte and Peter Schaupp, also came to clean up.

Diana lies in her grandparents' grave.

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The stranger swept the grave of a two-year-old, all the jewelry is next to the grave.

© Hans-Helmut Herold

It was also the Ringelsbachers who alerted the police on Tuesday evening.

Every day they come to their daughter's grave, on Monday everything was still in order when they returned the next day in the late afternoon, everything was broken.

"On behalf of my whole family, I am offering a reward of 1500 euros so that the perpetrator can be found," emphasizes Matthias Ringelsbacher.

His wife hopes that the incentive of the money may bring witnesses to the police.

Disturbance of the peace of the dead: Schongau police investigated - similar case in Peißenberg

The Schongau police are already investigating what happened at the forest cemetery against unknown persons because of disturbing the peace of the dead, says Police Chief Herbert Kieweg as "gross nonsense".

There are evidently parallels to a similar case at the Peißenberg cemetery St. Johann.

A 53-year-old woman was seen taking flowers, crosses and other grave decorations from the tombs and distributing them to other graves.

"Whether the woman is also responsible for the events at the forest cemetery in Schongau needs further investigation," said Kieweg.

Damaged grave owners and witnesses should please report.

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Angels in particular had to suffer from the cemetery molester.

They lie with chopped off wings and heads next to the graves.

© Hans-Helmut Herold

Information is also received at the city of Schongau, which is then passed on to the police.

It is believed that the damage occurred during Tuesday.

According to the Ringelsbachers' observations, Tuesday night is also possible.

As a rule, the cemetery is not cordoned off.

"And we are very happy about that," said Matthias Ringelsbacher.

So visiting the grave is also possible in the evening.

All police reports

from the Weilheim-Schongau region are available in our blue light ticker.