April 29, 2014 - 4:34 AM
CHILLIWACK, B.C. - RCMP in Chillwack, B.C., are investigating what appears to be the interrupted work of a modern-day grave robber.
Mounties say family members recently visited a grave, in a rural area of the Fraser Valley, about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver, to discover the site had been partially disturbed.
Several shovels were left at the scene but the coffin, which had been buried for about 20-years, had not been entered.
Cpl. Len vanNieuwenhuizen (van-new-en-houz-en) says the casket had been cemented closed before burial.
He says it is believed family heirlooms, including jewelry, were buried with the deceased, possibly attracting the would-be thieves.
Mounties say the attempt to dig up the coffin likely occurred several days before the discovery by the family on April 20, and investigators want to speak to anyone who may have information about the incident.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014