Police Arrest Suspects in Cedar Memorial Vase Theft
Cedar Rapids police arrested suspects accused of stealing about 125 brass vases from a local cemetery and returned the stolen property.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Property Crime
Cedar Rapids police arrested suspects for stealing about 125 brass vases from Cedar Memorial Cemetery, which staff discovered missing on September 21. Police recovered the vases and returned them to the cemetery.
Why it matters
The stolen vases were valued at about $25,000, and the case shows how city traffic cameras and the automated license plate reader system were used to identify a suspect vehicle. The arrests bring the investigation to a resolution for the cemetery and the Cedar Rapids community.
Suspects were arrested on first-degree theft and conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony charges, and the recovered brass vases have been returned to Cedar Memorial Cemetery. The news release did not name the arrested individuals, and the extraction does not specify court dates or further proceedings.
The players
Cedar Rapids Police Department
The municipal police department of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, responsible for investigating local crimes and operating the city's traffic camera and automated license plate reader systems.
Cedar Memorial Cemetery
A cemetery located at 4200 First Avenue NE in Cedar Rapids, where the brass vases were stolen and later returned.
The details
Cemetery staff discovered on September 21 that brass vases were missing. Surveillance video from a neighboring business captured a pickup truck and several people removing property from the cemetery the night before, and police used city traffic cameras and the ALPR system to obtain the truck's license plate. Arrested individuals admitted to participating in the crime, according to police.
Timeline
The night before September 21: Pickup truck and individuals removed vases from the cemetery.
September 21: Cemetery staff discovered the vases were missing.
November 6, 2026: Police announced the arrests and recovery of the vases.
Legal Context
The arrests rely on the same kind of automated license plate reader and traffic camera tracking that Cedar Rapids police use across city investigations. This case follows a pattern in which surveillance footage and plate data are used to tie a vehicle to a property crime.
Cemetery visitors and nearby property owners can see that police recovered the stolen brass vases and returned them to the cemetery. The case shows that surveillance footage from neighboring businesses and city traffic cameras can help police identify suspects in theft investigations.
The takeaway
Businesses and residents near cemeteries or other public sites may find value in sharing surveillance footage with police, since neighboring video helped identify the suspect vehicle in this case. Keeping records of valuable property can also help investigators verify losses after a theft.
Further reading
For more local cases like this, browse Property Crime coverage from Cedar Rapids.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Gazette.
