CT Toddler’s body stolen from grave, left in NJ

Police in Connecticut and New Jersey are scratching their heads at a bizarre grave theft that has re-opened the wounds of a family who lost a two-year-old child in 2007.

The toddler, who remains unidentified publicly to protect his or her family, was found on the banks of the Passaic River in Clifton, NJ. The body, reported to be in surprisingly good condition, was in a sealed plastic bag. Clifton is about 50 miles away from Woodlawn Cemetery in Stamford. (Reports regarding the child’s gender are conflicting.)

News of the find came as a heart-breaking shock to the child’s parents. In a news conference, authorities said:

“The parents were shocked. (They) had no reason to believe the child was not in the ground, and seemed to be quite shocked when we delivered the news.”

Police also reported that the ground around the grave appeared undisturbed, but the coffin was “damaged.” As such, the theft of the child’s body is unlikely to be a very recent event.

Law enforcement is investigating whether the crime may be related to a ritual of some sort. Police indicated that little information would be released due to the sensitive nature of the crime, but that they are trying to determine when the theft occurred.