Action News Troubleshooters help Philadelphia family solve mystery surrounding missing tombstone

BALA CYNWYD, Pennsylvania (WPVI) – The Action News Troubleshooters were called to help a family with a mystery surrounding a missing gravestone.

“My brother was a great uncle, fun to be around. He was always willing to help,” said Tanya Williams of Mount Airy. “He was just a good all-around guy who meant everything to us.”

Curtis Bell III died suddenly of illness when he was only 35 years old. His family buried him in a cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County and paid $1,600 for a headstone.

But when they visited his final resting place on his 40th birthday, they could not find his memorial plaque.

“We were just walking around, walking around,” Williams said. “We are devastated. We paid for a plaque to honor our love for our brother, our son, our uncle and my devastated mother.”

The installers showed the family a picture of the installed marker, but it was nowhere to be found.

Williams tells the Troubleshooters that she contacted the headstone company and the cemetery but did not get the help she wanted.

“It’s hurtful. It’s hurtful that the only thing they said to me was to put up a temporary headstone or maybe buy a new one. And I’m not willing to do that since we already bought one,” she said.

So Williams contacted the troubleshooters.

The troubleshooters contacted both the cemetery and the headstone company and finally received answers and action for Curtis Bell’s family.

The cemetery assumes that the gravestone was not placed on a foundation and was washed away.

The headstone company believes the headstone was either stolen or fell into a nearby open grave.

It’s still unclear what happened, but after troubleshooters got involved, a new marker was ordered at no cost to the Williams family and should be installed within a few months.

“I’m grateful. I’m grateful to everyone who helped with this process,” she said. “I’m happy about it and I’m grateful that this is over.”

If you need help from the Troubleshooters, you can reach us by calling our Call for Action volunteers at 1-866-978-4232. They answer calls Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

You can also submit your request online.