Latest news with #tombstone
CBS News
15-05-2025
- CBS News
Baby girl's tombstone returned to Pittsburgh cemetery after being found on street
The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh has figured out where a baby girl's tombstone belongs after it appeared on the curb of a Pittsburgh street over the weekend, sparking a search for answers. On Mother's Day, Chuck and Nancy Loskoch's son found the tombstone sitting on the curb of Perrysville Avenue on Pittsburgh's North Side. Nancy took a picture, and her friend posted it to Facebook. Since then, many people have been trying to solve the mystery of Baby Girl Recht's tombstone. The United Jewish Burial Association also started investigating, as well as the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The federation on Thursday said they not only found the original location of the baby girl's tombstone, but they also found out that the child's mother, now 89 years old, is still alive. "We did track down the family member, and said, 'yes, in fact, it should be there and it is missing and we'd like to have it back,'" said Shawn Brokos, the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh's head of community security. The tombstone has been returned to its home at Shaare Torah Cemetery in Carrick, where it originated in 1964. But there are still many questions. "I know a police report has been filed, and we're relying on police to investigate. But it certainly traveled a distance," Brokos said. It's still unknown how the tombstone got to a curb on the side of Perrysville Avenue, but the pieces are starting to come together. "I hope this brings them some peace of mind. But it remains open. Was this an intentional act? Was it done because it's a Jewish cemetery? It's clearly a Jewish cemetery, so that needs to be investigated further," Brokos said. Security for the Jewish Federation will continue to work with the Pittsburgh police. They are not releasing the current location of the 89-year-old mother. But as of now, Baby Girl Recht's tombstone is returned to where it belongs.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- CBS News
Social media post claims a baby girl's tombstone was stolen and dumped on a Pittsburgh roadside
A tombstone for a baby girl who died decades ago was supposedly stolen and dumped on the side of a Pittsburgh road, according to a social media post. Leaders are looking into the claim. The quiet of a cemetery is sacred to many. It's a final resting place marked and remembered by tombstones. That is why a specific Facebook post was alarming, even abhorrent, to so many people. The post shows a tombstone of a baby girl with the last name Recht that was found, according to a post, on a Perrysville Avenue curb. (Photo: Provided) This mystery is two-sided. First and foremost, who is this baby girl, and secondly, where did the tombstone come from? Who is the baby girl? Howard Gotlieb, a volunteer with the United Jewish Burial Association, which helps with the upkeep of local Jewish cemeteries, called this case "very, very rare." He's responsible for several different cemeteries in the complex at the edge of Carrick, like Shaare Torah and Beth Abraham. A death certificate posted on Facebook was linked to the tombstone by one investigating poster. It points to Shaare Torah Cemetery, but the dates don't match. Also, the posted picture shows no damage to the tombstone, which likely rules out another online concern: some sort of hate crime, given the current political climate. "So when Hamas, the situation with Israel, we did have a heightened security time at that point, where we did have to make sure that there was no vandalism. We were concerned about vandalism," Gotlieb said. Thankfully, there was no vandalism, he said. Where did the tombstone come from? The rabbi who oversees the cemetery told KDKA today, "We are working in close collaboration with law enforcement and Jewish Federation's Security team to learn more about this so that we can respond appropriately." Some of what they're trying to learn includes who originally created the post. The cemetery told KDKA-TV that they can't find the originator of the post. Additionally, it can't even find the actual tombstone, which leaves them only with the post picture and the claim of this post, that baby girl Recht's tombstone was stolen and discarded roadside. At this point, neither of those points has been proven.
