Alleged tomb-raiding trio arrested in cross-country cemetery spree ‘to steal from the dead,’ police say
Three alleged tomb raiders from Indiana have been arrested after an interstate spree of thefts from cemetery niches holding cremated remains, with authorities across the eastern United States urging families to check on their loved ones' resting places. The Orange County Sheriff's Office in Florida, which has identified 20 cases in the state alone, believes many more victims may not yet realise they have been targeted, describing the alleged thefts of family heirlooms from the deceased as particularly callous.
Drake Lee Milam, 33, and Angela Garrett, 52, were arrested in Indiana, while Porsche Bancroft, 32 — Milam's girlfriend and Garrett's daughter — turned herself in at a Florida jail; all three face charges including disturbing a grave and grand theft over $20,000. Surveillance footage allegedly shows the trio breaking into glass-fronted mausoleum niches across states including Oklahoma, Minnesota, Texas, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, New York, Illinois and New Jersey, taking items such as wedding rings, class rings and gold jewellery left with deceased relatives. Bancroft's arraignment is set for 22 September in Sanford, Florida, with a trial scheduled for 8 February, while Milam and Garrett are due to be extradited to face charges there.
- Three Indiana suspects accused of robbing cemetery niches across multiple US states
- At least 20 thefts confirmed in Florida; more suspected nationwide
- All three face charges including grave disturbance and grand theft
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Cemetery theft involving cremated remains is a lesser-known crime, but it happens when thieves target mausoleum niches — glass-fronted compartments where urns are kept, often alongside jewellery and other keepsakes left by grieving families. Because these sites are rarely checked as often as traditional graves, thefts can go unnoticed for a long time, leaving relatives unaware that items placed with their loved ones have been taken.
The case involves three people from Indiana accused of carrying out a series of such thefts across numerous US states, allegedly using surveillance footage to identify their methods of breaking into niches and removing valuables such as rings and gold jewellery. Police in Florida, where a significant number of cases have been identified, say the true scale of the alleged spree may be much larger, as many affected families have not yet realised anything is missing.
This matters both because of the number of states and cemeteries potentially involved, and because it raises broader questions about security at memorial sites and how thefts of this kind are detected and reported. The case is now moving through the courts, with those accused facing serious charges and forthcoming legal proceedings in Florida.