Public Appeal Helps Locate Gravesite For Child's Headstone

Public Appeal Helps Locate Gravesite For Child's Headstone

Tools

Story Published: Sep 23, 2005 at 5:16 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 2:05 AM PDT

By April Zepeda

KING COUNTY - The mystery of a child's missing headstone has been solved after the 3-year-old girl's grave marker was found more than a year ago.

Police couldn't find the cemetery where it belonged and until they released photos of the marker to the public on Thursday.

The caretakers of the pioneer cemetery in King County think Maggie Lloyd's headstone may have been stolen up to 40 years ago. But now it will be returned to its rightful place.

Maggie died more than a century ago. She was just three years and 21 days old. On her headstone, her family engraved: "Gone but not Forgotten."

A Snohomish County sheriff's deputy found the headstone dumped in an abandoned lot near Lynnwood last September. For the next year it was locked in an evidence room while technicians tried to find out where it came from.

"They came to me two days ago and said, 'Rich, can we get the media involved to help us get this back?' " said Deputy Rich Neibusch. The sheriff's office released pictures to area television stations and the story was broadcast Thursday night.

It didn't take long for KOMO viewer Loretta Dimond to find out exactly where Maggie's headstone belonged. She went to the Web site findagrave.com. That's where she learned that Maggie was buried in a rural cemetery of pioneer families in King County.

"If anyone is looking for a grave site, they should go to the Web and see what they can find," Dimond said.

A call to the cemetery's caretakers proved Loretta's Internet sleuthing correct. Maggie's headstone has been missing from the cemetery for decades.

"Everybody wants closure. And to not have closure, especially for a baby, is sad," said caretaker Pam Crim. The grave marker will be returned to the Lloyd family plot next to Maggie's parents, James and Eliza.

"It adds the genealogy back to its source and it gives the family that is still alive peace," said Crim.

There are only two Lloyds from Maggie's family who are still alive. And more than likely they will be buried at the same cemetery because even though it's a pioneer cemetery, it is still active today.

Investigators say that the grave marker was stolen many years ago and that it's doubtful that they will ever find out who took it.

Weather & Traffic

Icon
Current Temp 59.0 °F
A Few Clouds
More Weather

Weather & Traffic

More Weather

On Demand

Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV.

Stay Connected

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Marketplace