Couple Pleads For Answers After Bench Stolen From Son's Grave In Vinita

A Green Country couple is pleading for whoever took a bench from their son's grave to bring it back. The sentimental value means so much to the family that they're offering a reward for its return.

Terry and Sherry Young told News On 6 their son, DJ, was an angel who spent only 10 years on Earth.

"He was playing in the backyard and had fell out of a tree, and unfortunately, he didn't survive it," said Terry.

Since his death in 2003, loved ones have spent a lot of time at Fairview Cemetery in Vinita.

"I grieve the family he would have had, and that's what I think about when I come out here,” said Sherry. “I come out here, and I talk to him.

On February 1, DJ's birthday, the grieving mother noticed something big was missing.

"You can still see the imprint,” Sherry showed News On 6.

Terry's gift to Sherry, a brown cement bench with squirrels on each end that had been here for years, was gone.

“And I'm not sure why they took it,” said Sherry Young. “I just know that I'm called to pray for them."

Sherry Young posted about it on Facebook, and it has been shared more than 6,000 times. People are even donating money for a reward to get the bench back.

"We're overjoyed that people are reaching out to us,” said Terry.

For now, the family is holding on to what they do have, such as trinkets and memorabilia that DJ’s classmates and loved ones have left at his grave.

Sherry also got a tattoo on her wrist.

"This year, this was my gift to myself,” said Sherry while pointing to a heart tattoo with “DJ” in the middle. “My cousin did it, and I drew it."

A child gone, but forever in his parents' hearts.

If you know where the missing bench may be, call the family business at 918-256-2127. There is $1,000 reward for it, and that amount could grow.