Gravestone of American biographer from 1800s among those vandalized in Mass. town
At approximately 12 p.m. Sunday, police received reports of two gravestones at Oak Hill Cemetery that appeared to be damaged and vandalized, Newburyport City Marshal Matthew Simons said in a statement on Monday.
The reporting person told police that plaques and headstones were forcibly removed from the two gravestones dating back to the late 1800s.
Investigators believe the theft and vandalism occurred sometime last week.
One plaque commemorates Parton, who wrote several biographies of prominent American political figures, Simons said.
The other gravesite is devoted to members of the Dodge family.
'The theft of bronze plaques from headstones at Oak Hill Cemetery is a deeply disturbing act that shows a complete disregard for the memory of those laid to rest and their families,' Simons said. 'I am hopeful that someone may come forward with information that will lead to accountability for those responsible.'
There have been no other reports of vandalism or missing headstones at other cemeteries in Newburyport.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Newburyport Police at 978-462-4411.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
3 Orange County women arrested after police find over $12,000 worth of stolen merchandise
Three women were arrested after police found over $12,000 worth of stolen merchandise in Orange County. The suspects were identified as: Sara Alexandru, 18, of Garden Grove Simara Ghiocel, 19, of Westminster Sara Mihalaiche, 19, of Garden Grove On June 30, license plate readers alerted Irvine police to a van that was used to carry out a retail theft from an Ulta Beauty store in Los Angeles. Officers located the van exiting the Alton Square shopping center and began following it. The suspects eventually pulled over in a neighborhood, exited the van and fled on foot. Body cam footage that was blurred by police showed officers tracking down the women as they hid in different spots throughout the neighborhood. They were taken into custody. Inside the van, police found over $12,500 worth of stolen merchandise from several retail stores in Irvine, Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. The women were booked at the Orange County Jail on multiple charges including organized retail theft, grand theft and burglary. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tucker Carlson claims Jeffrey Epstein worked for Israel to blackmail US officials: ‘Every single person in DC thinks that'
Tucker Carlson has claimed that deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was working for the Israeli government and that 'every single person in Washington D.C.' thinks the same. 'I've never met anyone who doesn't think that. I don't know any of them that hate Israel. But no one feels they can say that,' the former Fox News host told an audience in Florida on Friday. Carlson also suggested that the disgraced financier may have been running 'a blackmail operation' as he discussed new information recently released by the Department of Justice. A two-page memo from the DOJ and FBI said that Epstein had no 'client list,' and that the convicted pedophile died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019, shortly before going to trial – angering some among the MAGA faithful. Speaking about the development at a Turning Point USA summit in Tampa, Carlson slammed the findings of the administration.'The real question is, why was he doing this, on whose behalf, and where did the money come from?' he said. 'I think the real answer is Jeffrey Epstein was working on behalf of intel services, probably not American. And we have every right to ask, on whose behalf was he working? 'Now, no one's allowed to say that the foreign government is Israel because we have been somehow cowed into thinking that's naughty. There is nothing wrong with saying that. There is nothing hateful about saying that, Carlson said. 'There's nothing anti-Semitic about saying that. There's nothing even anti-Israel about saying that. 'And you have the right to expect your government will not act against your interests, and you have a right to demand that foreign governments not be allowed to act against your interests.' Carlson has become one of the the big names on the list of MAGA luminaries who are irate over the DOJ's conclusions and previously insisted there was an 'obvious' reason why Attorney General Pam Bondi was 'covering up' the 'client list.' In addition, footage capturing Epstein's final hours – also released by the DOJ – has fuelled further conspiracy theories, after it appeared to have a minute of footage missing. A digital clock visible on the bottom left corner of the footage jumps from 11:58:58 p.m. to 12:00:00 a.m. Officials have not yet offered an explanation for the time gap to The Independent or the New York Times.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jon Jones says he has re-entered UFC testing pool just two weeks after retirement
Jon Jones is leaving the door open for a UFC return. In the latest development in the bizarre retirement timeline of Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC), the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, says he has re-entered the promotion's anti-doping testing pool. The move comes just two weeks after Jones, 37, announced he was walking away from the sport. Advertisement In a pair of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Jones' motivation appears to be a potential 2026 UFC event at the White House, which president Donald Trump recently teased. "Fighting at the White House?" Jones wrote on X. In the next post, Jones announced his return to the testing pool. "Just re-entered the testing pool, that lasted for about two weeks," Jones wrote. "Figured we'd keep everyone's options open." Returning to the testing pool would allow for a quicker return to action, should Jones ever decide to fight again. According to the UFC anti-doping policy, any athlete who gives notice of retirement to the UFC, may not resume competition until giving the promotion notice of their intent to return and themself available for testing for 180 days. However, the UFC can grant an exemption. Advertisement According to the UFC ADP website, Jones has been tested twice in 2025. "Bones" was tested five times in 2024 and 13 times in 2023. Jones last fought at UFC 309 in November, where he defended the heavyweight title against former champion Stipe Miocic. With Jones' retirement, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Tom Aspinall was elevated from interim to undisputed champion. In the days following Jones' retirement, news broke of his involvement in an alleged hit-and-run incident, in which Jones appeared to implicate himself. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jon Jones says he re-entered UFC testing two weeks after retirement