Murdered Massachusetts teen's grave covered with pink paint in latest incident of vandalism, family says: "We just want her to be at peace"
A Massachusetts family is searching for the people who they say desecrated their daughter's grave by covering it in pink paint, CBS Boston reports. The family says her resting place has been vandalized repeatedly since her death 14 years ago.
"It was almost like reliving this thing all over again," said Tiffany Andrade, sister of the late Chantel Matiyosus. "That is all that ran through my mind, why? Why 14 years later?"
Matiyosus was gunned down while leaving a baby shower in 2008. Darryene Ware was charged with her murder; however, the decision was later vacated. The family says the charges were reduced to manslaughter.
"He actually got his case overturned due to a state trooper's statements," Andrade said.
Since Chantel's death, the family has found human feces, urine and used feminine products on their daughter's grave. The latest incident involved paint.
"It was like someone just took a gallon of paint and spilled it here. It went across and let it all go down. We literally drove up and down everywhere looking to see if she was the only one. She was the only one," Andrade said. "I tried to move the mulch. It was thick, dripping everywhere."
"They were scraping it until 11 p.m. trying to get it all off. Nobody could have slept with Chantel's stone being vandalized like that," said Stephanie Matiyosus, Chantel's mother. "She has been gone for 14 years. She couldn't have done anything to anybody. She can't fight back. She can't speak up for herself."
Friends and family were able to get off as much as they could. The family is trying to have her body exhumed so she can be cremated. They are tired of all the incidents.
"Then we started looking into the price of it, and I can't believe it's so much money," said Matiyosus.
The family has been trying to raise the money online.
"Emotion-wise, I feel like I've cried all of my tears. I've yelled," said Andrade. "We just want her to be at peace, and this is not peace."
