Cemetery visitors are theft victims

YOUNGSTOWN -- "It's a shame you can't even pay your respects at a cemetery without something happening," Mary Eck said.
The Liberty woman; her brother, John Homonek Sr.; his son and her nephew, John Homonek Jr., both of Atlanta, were at Calvary Cemetery on Mahoning Avenue about 1 p.m. Friday to visit the grave site of relatives.
The Homoneks were in the Youngstown area to visit family and also were attending a weekend car show in Akron.
"We left the van unlocked. And for some reason, I left my purse in there," Eck said, and noted she usually carries her purse everywhere.
Eck said her purse along with her nephew's briefcase and laptop computer were stolen.
"I noticed a silver car ... possibly a new Oldsmobile with temporary tags parked nearby," Eck said. "And I thought they might be looking for the office to try to find a headstone just like we had."
Eck said she went back to the vehicle, found the door open and called for her brother and nephew. She said she noticed the silver car leaving quickly and "a girl in her early 20s with blond hair in the car but didn't notice the man."
That's when the family members discovered items missing from their vehicle.
"It was drizzling and a miserable day," Eck said, and the theft made it worse. The family filed a report with police.