Grave desecrations shock Lower Austria: Police are investigating!

Grave desecrations shock Lower Austria: Police are investigating!

In the last few weeks, there has been a worrying trend in Lower Austria: desecration of graves and the alleged theft of gold teeth from graves. The St. Pölten State Police Department has already started investigations after several cases were reported from various communities. Johann Baumschlager from the police confirmed that suspicious incidents had occurred in the cadastral communities of Weidling, Fels am Wagram and Wolkersdorf. What is particularly worrying is that investigators are pursuing unclear leads as to whether gold teeth were actually stolen, which makes the incident appear even more unscrupulous. This is what the Kleine Zeitung reported, among other things, about these alarming events in the region here.

The affected communities are particularly shocked. There are 13 known cases of grave desecration in Weidling, while eight incidents were recorded each in Fels am Wagram and Wolkersdorf. At the beginning of April, 60 grave desecrations were also discovered in Vienna in several cemeteries, particularly in the districts of Simmering, Floridsdorf and Donaustadt. Here grave slabs were moved and coffins were vandalized. The investigation is therefore in full swing and the police hope to find those responsible quickly as ORF NÖ reports.

Disturbance of the peace of the dead

A central issue in these investigations is the so-called disturbance of the peace of the dead, which is legally regulated under Section 168 of the Criminal Code. According to this law, the sense of piety of relatives and the postmortem personal rights of the deceased are protected. In this context, only intentional disruptions are punishable; negligent actions are not covered by this regulation. Examples of such disruptions include grave desecrations, which were also recorded in recent incidents in Lower Austria and Vienna said the Jura Forum.

Penalties for disturbing the peace of the dead can range from fines to three years in prison. In addition, this is an official offense, which means that the investigation can be initiated by the police even without a request from a third party. The statute of limitations is five years, but the authorities are trying to find the perpetrators as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.

It remains to be seen how the investigation progresses and whether further details come to light. The population calls on the authorities to quickly and consistently prosecute this outrage in order to restore confidence in the protection of the final resting places.