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Butler County Cemetery Vandalized

BUTLER COUNTY (KDKA) - Bordered by bunches of daylilies, people have been "resting in peace" here at the Mt. Varnum Cemetery, just off Old Brick Road, since it opened in the first-quarter of the 19th century.

"I am following up on a cousin of mine that's buried here."

For family genealogist Kathy Davis of Mt. Chestnut, cemeteries like this are fertile ground for branching out a family tree.

But State Police want to know who toppled over half-a-dozen headstones, breaking another, and even leaving the corpse of a cat behind.

It happened sometime between June 17th and July 1st.

"Any cemetery, you know, that's disrespect," says Davis who has no patience for the destructive behavior.

"Miserable! I'd like to hang them up by one of these trees and leave them hang!"

This cemetery reflects Butler County history.

Originally tied to the Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church, it contains the graves of early families like the Shiras.

"Probably graves in here that probably nobody has ever visited since mom and dad - whoever- was buried. They just don't care, but there's a lot of us that do."

One man stopped by, checking to see if his mom's headstone was okay. It was. If you know who did the damage here at the Mt. Varnum Cemetery, contact State Police in Butler.

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