Caskets at Florida cemetery pried open during ‘ritualistic activity,’ police say

MOUNT DORA, Fla. — Four caskets were pried open over the weekend and human remains are missing from a Central Florida cemetery in what authorities called a “ritualistic activity.”

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According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, a woman driving by Edgewood Cemetery in Mount Dora reported a disrupted tombstone Sunday afternoon, WFTV reported.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Lt. John Herrell said in a statement that someone had gained access to the four graves and tried to break into a fifth grave. Crews were working Monday to repair the damage to the graves, according to WFTV.

“Detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene and began the investigation and found evidence that suggests that this incident is very likely tied to some form of ritualistic activity,” Herrell said.

A police report did not specify whose remains were disturbed in the cemetery or why detectives believed the vandalism was related to a ritualistic activity. Some details in the sheriff’s office report were redacted.

A representative for the cemetery told deputies that there was a funeral at the cemetery on Saturday, WFTV reported. The official said he believed the equipment for the burial was removed that day by 3 p.m.

Deputies are asking for anyone who may have noticed any type of suspicious vehicles or suspicious activity at the cemetery Saturday night to call the sheriff’s office at 352-343-2101.

Cox Media Group