Family members beg for help as abandoned Carson cemetery now target of thieves

Carson community wants cemetery restored

Community members and family members of loved ones buried at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery in Carson are pleading with city officials to help maintain the property, after the owner abandoned it in 2023.

CARSON, Calif. - Family members of those buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Carson are pleading with city officials to help maintain the property.

Last year, shortly after July 4, when a family went to honor their loved ones, they found the cemetery gates locked. The cemetery had been abandoned. The gates have since been reopened, but there are still many issues on the property.

"Family members are going in there crying because they can't find their loved ones," said Pastor Eddie Jones, President of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Association.

Thieves target cemetery, steal plaques

Thieves in Southern California have hit a new low — targeting a local cemetery and stealing plaques.

In July 2023, FOX 11 spoke to a family that had buried their father in the cemetery six months prior. His grave was still missing a headstone.

Now, the burial ground has no power, no water, and no equipment to mow the grass. Even worse, it's now the target of copper thieves.

Carson cemetery has licenses canceled

Lincoln Memorial Park in Carson has had its licenses canceled.

Aisha Woods said that the grounds are "having vandalism every day now.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Carson cemetery closes without notice, grieving family members seek answers

Jackie Brown said the thieves are "stealing the headstones and the brass off the walls… making money off the dead."

In July of this year, Lincoln Memorial Park was one of two cemeteries targeted by copper thieves in the same week. More than 120 nameplates were stolen that night.

Families are asking the City of Carson for help, but the City says they have no jurisdiction, that it's the state's responsibility. Still, Brown said, "you're not responsible for Lincoln, ok I'll give you all that, but you're still in a position where you can help."