NYSSA, Ore. - Much of the community in Nyssa, Oregon, is angry and hurt after a local cemetery was ruthlessly vandalized.
More than 50 headstones at the Hilltop Memorial Cemetery were completely destroyed for no apparent reason, leaving family members devastated.
This is a really sad day for the hundreds of people who have loved ones buried here.
This headstone, just in pieces, destroyed with absolutely no regard to how hurtful or expensive it will be to replace.
“It’s hard, it was hard to let them go and it’s harder to come up and see the devastation here,” said Genie Hershberger.
On a quiet hill outside of Nyssa lies mothers and daughters, father and sons, and those who have served our country.
Hilltop Memorial Cemetery is usually a place where people can visit loved ones laid to rest, but Friday most who came here, came to see the devastation.
“You know whoever it was, must not have had anybody that they really honored that was buried because they have no respect for that, and they must not of felt the pain of having lost someone,” said James Lissman.
Vandals damage Nyssa headstones
The sheriff says more than 50 headstones were completely destroyed sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
“Seeing all of this I think it is just terrible, I don’t know why someone would do that, especially some of the ones we looked at, they were babies,” said Abby Hernandez.
“There is no words, there is just no words why, I don’t know why anyone would want to be so cruel, so evil,” said Hershberger.
Genie Hershberger grew up in Nyssa and has many friends and family buried here.
Headstones belonging to her cousin and close friend who served in World War II, are now in pieces.
“I just hope that somebody will have the courage or whatever to come forward and either let our law enforcement officers know who did this or admit to it, that would give a lot of peace of mind,” said Hershberger.
Malheur County Sheriff’s Brian Wolfe hopes so too.
Wolfe believes there could be multiple vandals and that they used something like a sledgehammer to carry out the destruction.
The sheriff’s department will be relying heavily on tips from the Nyssa community to solve this heartless crime.
“You might as well turn yourself in, we’re going to pull out all the stops, we’re going to do everything we possibly can to find out who it is, it would be best for them to cooperate at this point,” said Wolfe. “It’s probably best for them to surrender themselves to us rather than the community get hold of them.”
The Nyssa community and Crime Stoppers have come up with a reward for anyone who knows anything about what happened.
Some of that money will also go toward replacing these headstones, and the cemetery will help pay as well.