Cemetery worker covered in dirt had been digging to steal gold ring, IN cops say
.png "A former employee at an Indiana cemetery is accused of digging up a grave to find a gold ring buried in an urn.")
An Indiana man was arrested after police said he dug up a grave in search of a gold ring.
A Fishers police officer was patrolling near Oaklawn Memorial Gardens on May 12 when they noticed a “suspicious” vehicle, according to a news release from police.
The vehicle was empty, but the officer saw a gun and drug paraphernalia, police said.
While the officer was at the vehicle, a man walked out of a wooded area “covered in dirt from head to toe,” police said.
The man, later identified as 24-year-old Seth Davidson, told the officer it was his vehicle and he worked at the cemetery. He then told the officer that he had recently buried an urn with a gold ring inside and he couldn’t stop thinking about it, police said.
Davidson said he dug up the urn and planned to pawn the ring, but when he saw the officer, he hid it behind a dumpster, according to police.
Davidson took officers to the ring, then to the grave, which had fresh dirt indicating it had recently been disturbed, police said.
McClatchy News reached out to Davidson’s attorney for comment May 15 but did not immediately hear back.
“This is a very unfortunate isolated event. We take professionalism and care of loved ones very seriously. We met with the family impacted and have assured them their loved ones cremated remains have not been affected. The employee has been terminated,” a spokesperson with the cemetery told McClatchy News in an email.
Davidson was charged with felony theft, cemetery mischief, criminal trespass and disturbing ground for artifacts from a grave.
The family of the deceased was also notified.
Fishers is about a 20-mile drive northeast of Indianapolis.
This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Cemetery worker covered in dirt had been digging to steal gold ring, IN cops say."
