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Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 15, 2022 17:38:53 GMT -5
Satanists Suspected of Skull Thefts at Australian CemeteryPolice in Melbourne are searching for a man seen fleeing a cemetery where two heads were reportedly stolen from coffins. The perpetrator of the bizarre crimes, which occurred at the Footscray General Cemetery, pried open mausoleums to access the corpses. The tombs were broken into four days apart – the first theft occurring on January 27 and the second on January 31 – in what authorities are saying are targeted, deliberate crimes. A third coffin was damaged but the skull wasn’t taken.
“Police received reports of a man seen acting suspiciously at the Footscray cemetery shortly before 4 a.m.,” a spokeswoman said. “Officers patrolling nearby quickly attended the area, however no one was located.”
The macabre thefts and strange items discovered at the site – including candles, a crucifix and notes to Satan – have led many to believe the skulls were taken by Satanists, although Acting Inspector Ben Jarman insisted, “The human remains were the primary focus of the offender and that is what we are focusing on.”
Criminologist Xanthe Mallett said she’d never heard of another case like this in Australia. “It is interesting. Some of the symbols that have been left around these mausoleums appear to be Satanic in nature,” she admitted, “and I’ve seen that in the UK, but I’ve never seen any Satanic cult activity in Australia.”
Family members of those whose graves were desecrated advised authorities there was nothing of value, such as jewelry, inside the mausoleums.
“It’s very distressing for the families,” Jarman added. “They expect their loved ones to be put to rest at peace.”
In November 2021, there were reports of increased Satanic activity and many on social media have speculated concerning a surge in occult practices. Additionally, researchers and historians claim alleged Satanic activity increases in times of uncertainty brought about by catastrophes and mass hysteria.
In the meantime, the cemetery has taken measures to increase security and police are patrolling the area on a regular basis.Sources: Rhiannon Tuffield, News Australia, February 2, 2022; and Alex Winter, The Sun, February 2, 2022.
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Post by jason on Feb 15, 2022 23:24:25 GMT -5
Can you imagine having to spend eternity in that graveyard where there's no grass, no trees or anything else but stones almost on top of each other? Australia is huge, there's plenty of space for a decent cemetery and there's no reason to bury people in a place like this.
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Post by kitty on Feb 16, 2022 0:26:23 GMT -5
It's hard to believe that there's never been another grave robbing case in Australia.
I agree with Jason, that cemetery is really awful. I wouldn't want any of my loved ones to be buried in a place like that.
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Post by jane on Feb 16, 2022 18:58:18 GMT -5
From what I've read, there's a lot of Satanic cult activity in Australia. Maybe they haven't been caught robbing graves until now, but I have little doubt it's happened before.
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Post by Graveyardbride on May 9, 2023 3:28:07 GMT -5
Grave-robber Turns out to Be 40-year-old Uber DriverTristan Hearne, a 40-year-old Spotswood (suburb of Melbourne) Uber driver was arrested in March 2022 after tips to police led to a search of his apartment, where officers found one of the heads stolen from Footscray Cemetery in January and February. Other items stolen from the mausoleums, including the second head, he pilfered were buried outside the apartment he shares with roommates.
Hearne sported several Satanic and other grisly tattoos and, according to police, two of his fingers were branded with both the Leviathan Cross – known as the Cross of Satan – and the Sigil of Lucifer. On his left arm was an elaborate inking of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy in a clown costume.
He also had an obsession for macabre photos and posted images of skulls, vampires and zombies on his social media accounts. Some of the photos he uploaded were of Melbourne graveyards, particularly Kew’s Boroondara General Cemetery. One photo shows an individual dressed as the Grim Reaper among the tombstones. He described one grave site as “Beautiful, enchanting and very special.” Additionally, when he made forays into the cemetery for the purpose of breaking into and robbing graves, he left behind candles, a crucifix and notes to Satan.
On his Facebook page, Hearne, whom acquaintances described as “ghost-obsessed,” indicated two of his favorite books were Usborne Guide to the Supernatural World and The World of the Unknown Ghosts.
Hearne was charged with six offenses, including two counts of removing body parts from the corpse of a human being, exhuming or removing human remains from place of interment, and criminal damage. The removal of body parts from a place of interment carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Unfortunately, Hearne will never be called to account for his actions for he died July 5, 2022. His cause of death wasn’t released, but there were rumors on social media that he committed suicide.Sources: Wayne Flower, The Daily Mail, June 19, 2022l; Elsa Buchanan, The Sun, June 20, 2023, and Erin Pearson, The Age, August 17, 2022.
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Post by kitty on May 9, 2023 5:51:14 GMT -5
So it was just some weirdo acting alone. Every time something like this happens, people suspect Satanists, but it never is. Are there really Satanic covens that have meetings or use bones and skulls in their ceremonies?
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Post by snowfairy on May 9, 2023 11:48:37 GMT -5
So it was just some weirdo acting alone. Every time something like this happens, people suspect Satanists, but it never is. Are there really Satanic covens that have meetings or use bones and skulls in their ceremonies? |
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Post by pat on May 9, 2023 23:24:10 GMT -5
I've known a few people who claimed to be Satanists, but they were just weirdos. They weren't members of an organized coven, or anything like that. I think it would be hard for kooks like that to ever be organized enough to form a coven or some other group where they were all interested in doing the same thing. When there's more than one, it's usually a group of teenage misfits who don't know what they're doing. |
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