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Thieves Stealing Personal Items From Graves At Acton Cemetery

ACTON (CBS) - Alison Takacs has spent a lot of time personalizing her husband's grave, from the Red Sox symbol and the purple flowers symbolizing pancreatic cancer awareness, to a little statue of their beloved family dog.

But when Alison and her daughter visited the Acton cemetery on Tuesday, something was missing.

WBZ-TV's Kate Merrill reports

Someone had stolen the dog statue that sat next to the grave.

It's one of many items that are virtually worthless to anyone other than the families who put them there. Yet, someone is stealing them.

"It's hard enough to come here and bring birthday present to your dad at the cemetery," Takacs said. "But to come here and find they have been taken. Really?"

Cemetery officials say they've already had four complaints this year.

They say there is not much they can do. But they have asked police to step up patrols in the area.

Alison plans to replace the inexpensive dog.

But hopes to put a stop to a string of heartless crimes in the one place she considers sacred.

I can't even wrap my brain around walking up to grave and walking away with an item that's been placed there," she said. "I can't grasp that."

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