Facebook Photo Claim Untrue, Mt. Carmel Cemetery Not Vandalized

A photo shared on Facebook yesterday claimed Mt. Carmel Cemetery was vandalized over the weekend and several grave sites had been destroyed, but the Diocese of El Paso says that is not so.

The post, which was accompanied with the photo below, alleged someone had intentionally driven a vehicle onto the grounds "knocking over everything," but it wasn't vandals who made the mess; it was the cemetery's maintenance crew.

According to the Diocese's Facebook page, "The recent rains and snow...made the ground soft and when the tractors went through, they left the dirt like this."

The statement explains that the headstone and flowers "were moved to make room for the tractor which was on its way to an established grave site for a new burial," and noted that everything was "put back in their normal spot soon after the tractor went through. You can read their entire response below.