IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — The Iberia Parish community was in shock after multiple military plaques were stolen from local cemeteries, sparking outrage and prompting one local woman to take action.
“Just taking things from someone is one thing, but when you're taking from the cemetery? That’s a whole different ballgame,” said Francine Guillot, a New Iberia resident who has made it her mission to bring justice to the affected families.
Guillot, who lives and works in New Iberia, discovered the stolen plaques while visiting the cemetery where her aunt and uncle are buried.
“This is the first one I found, and when I started turning around and seeing others missing, I said, ‘Wow, something happened,’” Guillot said.
Determined to help, Guillot began volunteering her time to reach out to the families of graves with missing plaques.
"See something, say something — I’m that person," she said.
She walked through seven different cemeteries in the area, documenting which graves were missing plaques.
She later created a Facebook page, 'Veterans’ Plaques Missing in New Iberia Cemeteries,' to keep the public informed.
“Every cemetery I go to, if I find something, I’ll let everybody know. Everybody says Facebook is negative, but in this case, it’s a positive,” she said.
As of Tuesday, Guillot had identified 21 stolen plaques.
Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office (IPSO) confirmed the stolen plaques had been found, though “damaged beyond repair.” The sheriff’s office noted that the names on the plaques had been ground off, and the plaques were cut into pieces. They also stated that the investigation is ongoing.
“All that work to come and pull 21 plaques... get a job! A j-o-b,” Guillot remarked in frustration.
The sheriff’s office has made five arrests in connection to the thefts and is still searching for one more suspect.
