Two Historic Marysville Cemeteries Damaged

MARYSVILLE (CBS13) - There's more heartbreak and outrage after two historic cemeteries in Marysville were targeted again by vandals.

"I'm very angry about it," volunteer Roberta Shurtz said Thursday.

At the St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, vandals damaged more than 50 headstones on Thursday. Markers more than a century old were toppled, even snapped. The damage could be in excess of $100,000.

That followed more damage at the Marysville Historic City Cemetery, which dates back to the city's origins in the 1800s.

"They yelled at me, 'We've got damage, we've got damage,'" said Shurtz, who found out about the destruction on Wednesday.

The foot print on the back indicates they kicked it over. A year ago vandals did $20,000 in damage. This time, it was about $10,000.

The vandals or vandal even climbed up to break a marble monument.

The city cemetery is the final resting place for many of the pioneers who settled the Gold Rush city in 1851.

The Marysville cemetery is only open on special requests, but locked gates aren't keeping out the vandals.

Highway 70 runs right by the cemetery. Roberta believes it would help if people passing by take a quick glance and report to police if anyone is in the cemetery, especially at night.

Volunteers will have to raise thousands again to piece history back together in what is becoming an ongoing and criminal disrespect for the dead.

"It makes it hard to step or move forward because it always seems we're taking three steps back instead of going forward," she said.