Crime & Safety
Vandals Stoop to a New Low in Menomonee Falls
Two memorial placards were removed from Mill Pond Park Thursday morning, which has prompted one family to offer a reward to find theirs.
A vandal or group of vandals may have taken their antics a step too far in Menomonee Falls after absconding with two memorial plaques during a destructive spree Thursday morning in .
Menomonee Falls Patch received an email Thursday morning from Falls resident Tamara Langhoff whose family was directly impacted by the vandals' misdeeds.
During a run this morning, Langhoff discovered a plaque in memory of her deceased daughter had been ripped from the ground and was nowhere to be found.
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Langhoff’s daughter passed away March 25, 2010 after suffering a brain injury in December. Her family planted a tree in fall with a memorial plaque at its base on the banks of Mill Pond in remembrance of her.
“It’s similar to hearing about graves being vandalized. It’s so insensitive, and I don’t know why her memorial would be a target,” Langhoff said. “It’s the only memorial marker that we have for her because she was cremated. This is the only place we can gather to remember her.”
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Langhoff hopes the vandals were randomly targeting objects in the park, but noted a memorial plaque for the class of 1943 – just a few feet away – remained in tact.
Two village employees were at the park when Langhoff ran by and said they reported the incident to the Menomonee Falls Police Department. Police Lt. Kevin Von Bank said the vandalism likely occurred Thursday morning. In addition to Langhoff’s memorial, a second memorial was removed. Von Bank said a metal sign was thrown into the river and two smokers stations were pried open as well.
Langhoff said she is offering a $100 reward for the person who returns the memorial plaque to her family. A birth and death date is on the plaque as well as an inscription that reads, “love blooms eternally.”
“It’s not so much that the plaque cost a lot of money. It’s more the emotional side of all of it, and I hope we can get it back,” Langhoff said.
If you have any information that could get the plaque back to the Langhoff family, leave a comment below or call the MFPD at 532-8700.
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