Charges have been announced against two suspects accused of stealing 200 vases from cemetery headstones near Woodstock. Authorities say they also stole gravestone vases in Lake County and sold them.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 3:20 p.m. on September 3 to the McHenry County Memorial Park Cemetery, 11301 Route 14 in unincorporated Woodstock, for a theft call.
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Baker said a large number of vases, which were part of gravestones, had been stolen.
One of the administrators informed deputies that the vases had been stolen the previous night in the south end of the memorial park, Baker said.
It was learned that approximately 200 decorative metallic vases were stolen in total from individual gravestones.
Each decorative vase ranged in value from $200 to $900, meaning the total value of the stolen property was $40,000 to $180,000.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division began investigating the incident.
Detectives collaborated with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office during the investigation.
Investigators identified the suspects involved as Fermin Tonche-Gallardo, 30, of Waukegan, and Marcos Mendez, 41, of Waukegan.
The sheriff’s office announced Thursday they were charged with theft under $10,000, a Class 2 felony, and damage to a gravestone, a Class 4 felony.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Tonche-Gallardo and Mendez.
The two suspects are also facing charges in Lake County for stealing many vases from gravestones and selling them, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded in August to a theft report at Highland Memorial Park, 33100 Hunt Club Road in unincorporated Libertyville.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said vases were stolen from the cemetery.
The victims reported that they had purchased brass or bronze vases, valued between $500-$800 each, to place on the headstones of their loved ones.
Covelli said a further investigation revealed that hundreds of similar vases had been stolen from cemeteries across Lake and McHenry counties.
Those included Northshore Garden of Memories in North Chicago and McHenry County Memorial Park in Woodstock.
Lake County sheriff’s detectives worked closely with other law enforcement agencies and developed leads that led to the identification of two suspects.
Mendez and Tonche-Gallardo allegedly stole the vases and sold them to scrapyards “for a fraction of their value,” Covelli said.
After being sold to the scrapyards, the vases were melted down for their metal content.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office in October approved charges of theft and damage to a headstone against the two.
“There’s nothing much lower than stealing from those resting in peace. Instead of honoring their loved ones, people were victimized by theft at a sacred place,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said in October.
“I’m incredibly proud of the hard work of our team and the collaboration with our law enforcement partners in bringing these suspects to justice,” Idleburg said.