by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
BEACBHURG — It will be two years ago this December that 23-year-old Kyla Simmons died.
Kyla was the daughter of Billie Jo and Hugh Martin of Beachburg and Christopher Simmons.
The gravesite has roses, artificial flowers, regular and angel solar lights, small angel statues and a few other things people leave behind to remember Kyla by.
Ms. Martin finds comfort being close to her daughter, so visits the gravesite every day.
“I feel as if I have to come,” she said.
She allows no grass to grow where her daughter’s urn is buried, instead choosing to plant the flowers and roses. Nieces have brought artificial flowers to plant, knowing they remain blooming for their aunt.
While there has been mischief at the gravesite in the past two years, Ms. Martin says it’s ramping up.
“Three days in a row last week someone did something,” she said.
The solar angel lights were taken off their stand and another solar light was smashed, she said. The next day she returned, and a hole was dug in front of the headstone and one of the solar angel lights was placed in it.
“That was creepy,” she said. “Why put a light in the hole?”
Flowers have been pulled out and petals ripped from the flowers, Ms. Martin said. A wooden cross and the artificial flowers were tossed into the nearby bush area and one of the angel statue’s feet were broken off.
“I was able to glue them back on,” she said. “This angel was in the basket of flowers from Kyla’s grandmother.”
Ms. Martin has always been able to repair the mischief that has been done and is thankful there hasn’t been any severe damage. However, it’s upsetting to find damage done when she goes to the gravesite, she said.
Flowers have been replanted and the hole filled in, but “Huey finds it hard that someone would do this,” she said. “One of the girls that played hockey with Kyla finds it really upsetting.”
Ms. Martin is almost to the point where she wants to take home everything from the gravesite.
“It’s to a point where I’m getting angry and I burst into tears,” she said.
As she looks around the cemetery for some of the missing items, Ms. Martin said she notices no other gravesites are disturbed. And she wouldn’t want them disturbed.
“This isn’t right,” she said. “It shows a lack of respect.
“Why would someone do this? Who would do something like this?”
Ms. Martin questions if it’s someone who is angry with Kyla for dying so young or is it because they feel Kyla doesn’t deserve a nice looking gravesite.
“It can’t be a joke, because no one would be that disrespectful,” she said.
Ms. Martin believes the damage is also upsetting to Kyla.
“She was a good girl,” she said. “She respected graveyards. She even looked after a friend’s mom’s headstone when she wasn’t around. This would bother her. This is just someone being cruel.”
Ms. Martin said the person will be caught, because she’s not quiet about the damage that is being done.
“A lot of people know what’s happening at Kyla’s grave and people are watching,” she said.
She and her husband are even considering putting up a trail camera to catch the person or people.
Ms. Martin said the damage is done during the night when it’s very dark in the cemetery. And she knows how dark it is because she goes to the cemetery before going to bed.
“Why would someone come in here in the dark just to damage her area,” Ms. Martin questions.
She pleads, “Please, just stop.”
