Vandals dig up 1882 gravesite in Alabama: Remains may be missing

ROCKFORD, Ala. (TCD) --

The gravesite of a man buried in 1882 was vandalized for the second time in a year, officials said, and remains may have been removed from the location.

The Opelika-Auburn News reports the destroyed grave of Samuel Jones at Flint Hill Cemetery was discovered on the morning of March 22.

"They actually removed the slab on the grave and dug out a significant portion of the grave itself," said Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones. [It was unclear if the sheriff is related.]

Jones said it was possible suspects were looking for valuables interred with the body. The slab covering the grave weighs hundreds of pounds, according to the sheriff.

"Law enforcement officials were unable to say whether or not the body of Samuel Jones was missing," the Opelika-Auburn News reported.

Samuel Jones, one of the first settlers in Lee County, was buried in the Flint Hill Cemetery in 1882.

Edna Ward, with the Lee County Cemetery Preservation Commission, said: "Where Jones was laid to rest, there’s an empty hole. There’s nothing left. They took it all.”

Ward said this is the second time Jones' grave has been vandalized in a year.

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