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Family wants cemetery to replace missing headstone vase
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BATON ROUGE - A woman is looking for answers after a vase from her grandmother's headstone went missing.
A new vase for Paige Askin's grandmother's headstone will cost about $500. She doesn't think she should have to spend the money, so she contacted 2 On Your Side.
Askins visits her grandmother's grave at Southern Memorial Cemetery off Blount Road monthly. She keeps the area clean and replaces the flowers. Her grandmother, Lubertha, was laid to rest in 2008 and this past November, Askins noticed the headstone's flower vase was missing.
"And tire tracks, it has previously rained so there were tire tracks running right up against the corner of the headstone," Askins said.
Thinking someone had accidentally knocked the vase over, she searched the area but didn't see the vase. She visited with the cemetery caretaker for clarity.
"She told me at the time, 'Oh, it was vandalism. Somebody took it, we have a lot of vandalism here,'" Askins said.
Nearby, a pile of fresh dirt had been spread around the area close to her grandmother's grave. When Askins asked the caregiver about the tire tracks, any wrongdoing was dismissed. No other existing graves around Askins appear to have new damage.
The cemetery offered a plastic replica in its place, but Askins wanted the iron vase she had previously paid for. In 2008, Askins says the vase cost about $500.
"I just want my grandmother's vase replaced. It may not mean anything to them but to me, it means a lot," Askins said.
The cemetery answered 2 On Your Side's call. The caretaker who answered said they would contact the cemetery's owners and return the call with more information. At the time this story was published, the call was not returned.
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