The Reno County Sheriff’s Office was too late when it found more than 25 vases that were stolen from cemeteries.

Detective David Post says 26 brass vases were reported stolen from graves at the Turon Cemetery in October. The Hutchinson News reports a check with area scrap yards found more than 26 vases, and they all were crushed.

Reno County investigators are advising other cemeteries in the region to check for similar thefts.

Rolla Fetterman, the sexton of the Turon Cemetery, says monument and ground-mounted vases were stolen. Cemetery brass vases cost $400 to $500. The market price for scrap brass is about $2 per pound and the typical vase weighs about 7 pounds.

Fetterman says people who own the burial plots and vases are responsible for replacing them.