Headstone plaques stolen in Stratford, including one from 19-year-old’s grave
Posted May 29, 2025 05:56:09 AM.
Last Updated May 29, 2025 11:33:27 AM.
Someone has stolen plaques from headstones in Stratford, including from the grave of a 19-year-old man.
Stratford police say calls came in between May 26 and 28 about Avondale Cemetery, on the west side of town. They noted “plaques were stolen from various areas of the cemetery and are believed to have been stolen, or damaged, after May 22.”
Police said at least four plaques of various shapes and sizes have disappeared, with some described as “bronze in colour.” Officials have issued before and after photos of a headstone for before for Derek Petrie, who died in 1986 at the age of 19.
One photo shows the plaques with his name and the names of his family members, and a smaller plaque that reads, “No longer among us but forever with us.”
The other photo shows the bare store with no markers at all, only the school photo of the young man left at the top.
Police said they have no suspects at this time.
They urged anyone who knows anything about what happened to call or email to Stratford Police right away.
And they asked everyone with a loved one buried at Avondale to go check that their headstones are alright.
Waterloo regional police last year and the City of Cambridge were dealing with multiple stolen plaques, including one taken from the Parkhill Dam memorial for a police officer who died in the line of duty trying to save a boy from the Grand River.
