Ohio police are looking for unknown suspects who broke into President James Garfield's tomb and stole several commemorative spoons, CBS affiliate WOIO reported.
The break-in at Garfield's monument at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland Heights was discovered by an employee last Wednesday morning. The doors of the former U.S. president's monument were found open with the lock missing and shards of glass strewn all over the floor, police told WOIO. The thieves also took nearly two dozen commemorative demitasse spoons and teaspoons from a glass case that stood near Garfield's casket.
Cleveland Heights police found cigarette butts, a t-shirt and a bottle of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky outside the monument near Mayfield Road, the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported. Police are also investigating a fingerprint found on the glass case. The suspect is said to have broken a window to gain access inside the monument.
No suspects have been named, but the cemetery's management told police about an employee that was recently fired and had "displayed extreme opposite behavior" than usual, according to a report obtained by the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
Even though the spoons are not valuable, President Garfield's tomb is seen as a source of pride for the Northeast Ohio community, WGN-TV reported. To this day the monument, built in 1890, remains a major tourist attraction.
Garfield, the 20th president, was born on Nov. 19, 1831 in the Cleveland suburb of Moreland Hills. He won the presidency in 1880 by just 10,000 votes, only to be shot less than a year later at a train station in Washington D.C., according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group. He died two months later on Sept. 19, 1881.
Garfield is the only deceased president to have his casket on full display. His casket lies next to his wife. The ashes of his daughter and her husband are also in the tomb.
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