MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Call Christina investigation could prompt changes at a local cemetery following a warning from a Local 10 News viewer.
That viewer, a mother, called investigative reporter Christina Vazquez after she said thieves violently stole her purse from a graveyard just days after burying her daughter.
"My daughter, Elizabeth Morales, was a very great young lady," said Juanita Leal, while standing outside the Graceland South Cemetery in Richmond Heights.
Elizabeth, the youngest of three, was just 40 at the time of her sudden death.
"Her heart stopped," said Leal. "It's been hard because a mother to lose a child, you feel like they took something from you," said Leal.
Amidst that heartbreak and hardship, predators were waiting outside Graceland Memorial Park South in Miami, just days after laying her daughter to rest. As she arrived with $600 in cash to purchase the crypt next to her daughter, she noticed a dirty white pick-up truck pull up.
"I thought they worked in the graveyard because they have flowers in it. They came up to the car with a pipe. They hit the car, they hit the window," said Leal.
Police wrote in their report that the thieves stole her purse through the smashed window and then took off.
"He put his big hand inside, grabbed me, grabbed the pocketbook, I let it go. At that point I thought he was going to kill me," said Leal.
The Call Christina team obtained Miami-Dade County Police incident reports from Graceland Memorial Park South in Miami. They reveal that in the past six months, police have responded to 13 incidents there involving "theft from a motor vehicle."
In a statement Graceland Memorial Park South tells Local 10 News that it is "extremely disheartening and disturbing to learn of predators preying on the weak as they mourn their loved ones. While we do have proper safety measures in place, we are frequently re-evaluating these measures and making any necessary improvements, including the installation of security cameras and engagement of periodic security patrols, to prevent this type of incident from occurring again."
"It is the lowest to the lowest you can get," said Alvaro Zapata of Miami Dade Police. "You are preying on people that are at a cemetery (when) they are at their weakest moment. It is something we should be ashamed of as a community, that people live within us that think that way."
"I could have had a heart attack," said Leal.
The terrifying ordeal also keeps her from being able to visit her daughter in peace. While she may be afraid to go their alone, she stands strong to send the thieves a message.
"Stop doing this. They have no idea the harm and the danger; they should not be doing this to people in the cemetery," said Leal.
Plans are underway for the installation of security cameras, and a watch order has been placed through the Miami-Dade Police Department.
No arrests have been made.
Police remind the public to keep up their guard while in isolated places and be aware of your surroundings.
Follow Christina Vazquez on Twitter @CallChristinaTV
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