Roughly $19,000 worth of bronze plaques have been stolen from the Missouri Humane Society’s memorial park, according to a local news report.
Plaques that pay tribute to pets and animal lovers who have passed are scattered along the brick walkway at Carol Gates Throop Memorial Park in St. Louis.
What was meant to be a place to remember loved ones and furry friends turned into a suspected crime scene when Missouri Humane Society volunteers noticed Tuesday morning that 54 of the more than 100 plaques had gone missing, according to local outlet KSDK, which spoke with the nonprofit.
“Our first reaction was that we were just shocked because nothing like this has ever happened before,” Laura Keller, Chief Communications Officer of the Missouri Humane Society, told the outlet.
The Missouri Humane Society has been advocating for the welfare of animals since 1870. Carol Gates Throop Memorial Park is located on the grounds of the nonprofit’s old headquarters.
“It’s the site of our original building, where millions of animals got adopted. And now hundreds of our dogs walk in it every day. So it’s just sad,” Robin Dexter, Marketing Manager, Humane Society of Missouri, told KSDK.
The bronze plaques that were stolen cost $350 a piece, bringing the total value of the alleged stolen goods to $18,900. The Humane Society said the suspected theft hurts them financially as well since the nonprofit relies solely on donations.
Dexter called the theft “heartbreaking” and “a real kind of gut punch.”
“A lot of people don’t have a physical place to come and remember their pets, and a lot of people choose to do that by leaving a brick here,” Dexter said.
The nonprofit has filed a police report, but it could be hard to track down the alleged thieves, as there were no surveillance cameras in the area.
“We did not have security cameras located in our park, but we are certainly looking into increasing our security measures moving forward,” Keller said.
The Independent has reached out to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police and the Missouri Humane Society for comment.
