An emotional visit to a cemetery turned into a frightening experience for an 80-year-old widow in Massachusetts after a thief allegedly stole her purse while she was cleaning her late husband’s grave.
The incident happened in May 2017 at St. Mary-Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Lawrence.
Anne Ogden had been visiting the cemetery for decades, taking care of the graves of loved ones and maintaining the flowers she planted there.
On that particular Tuesday morning, she was doing what had become a familiar routine: cleaning her husband’s gravesite and remembering the people she had lost.
But while her purse was sitting on the ground nearby, a man reportedly approached her from behind, grabbed it and ran away.
The incident left the elderly woman deeply shaken.
According to police, the suspect was identified as 32-year-old Christopher Ansara. Investigators used information from the victim, surveillance footage and an anonymous tip to track him down.
He was later arrested, and police said he confessed to stealing the purse.
Although the purse was eventually recovered, some of its contents were missing.
But for Anne, the greatest loss was not necessarily the money.
Inside the purse were personal belongings and something deeply meaningful: $20 she had kept as part of a personal tradition following her husband’s death.
She explained that she had taken a small amount of money from her husband’s wallet after he died, just as she had done with other beloved family members.
It was her own way of keeping a connection with the people she had lost.
Anne was particularly upset that this personal keepsake was gone.
She also admitted that the experience had changed how safe she felt visiting the cemetery alone.
After decades of visiting her loved ones, she now had to reconsider a routine that had once brought her comfort.
Her story became a reminder that some belongings cannot be measured by their financial value.
Sometimes, what matters most is the memory attached to them.