Funeral home stretchers go missing and one man is behind thefts, Georgia cops say

A man with “an extensive history of theft” is being accused of targeting multiple funeral homes for their mortuary stretchers, according to investigators in Georgia.

Among the targets were Georgia Funeral Care in Acworth and Benson Funeral Home 15 miles southwest in Dallas, officials say.

Both sites report someone broke into funeral home vehicles and made off with stretchers used to carry bodies, Dallas police said in a news release. Dallas is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Atlanta.

The suspected thief is a 56-year-old man from Valrico, Florida, and he remains at large, police said.

“Dallas police detectives collected evidence and linked the (Benson Funeral Home) theft of the stretcher to several other incidents,” police said in a news release. “(The suspect) is currently wanted in at least two Metro Atlanta counties for similar incidents.”

Investigators say the suspect has been trying to sell the pilfered stretchers for up to $1,000 each to other funeral businesses like In Their Honor Transports, WAGA reported.

“It’s very unusual to hear anybody breaking into a funeral home, or the vehicles, because who wants that mojo on them?” Don Ware of In Their Honor Transports told the TV station.

The thefts in Dallas and Acworth occurred in May and involved someone breaking into funeral home vehicles, officials said.

Acworth police say they found their suspect using surveillance video and license plate recognition cameras.

Dallas police issued an arrest warrant for a charge of entering an automobile with intent to commit theft, and Acworth police charges include felony entering an automobile, misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor criminal trespass/damage to property.