SAN ANTONIO — The loss of Esequiel Campos is not an easy lift for his family.
"We suffered a great loss," Janie Campos said. "He was the rock of our family."
Campos is one of six children. The 79-year-old had five daughters, and one with his wife of 62 years. At his wish, they buried the construction company owner at a plot he chose at San Jose Burial Park two years prior. He died on Nov. 9.
"He said, 'I'm right at the entrance,'" she said. "'I picked under a tree, so there won't be any sun. You'll have shade.'"
Fresh in their grief, the family visits to spend time with their father, who was buried on Nov. 23. Those visitations came with an array of flowers and extra care for his resting place.
"My sisters would water the flowers every day, so they were very pretty," Campos said.
However, on Thursday the family arrived at a baffling sight: There no flowers on his gravesite. Campos said they noticed some other graves, previously flowered, were empty too.
She said they contacted the burial park's office to see if a plot-cleaning effort came through. According to Campos, the cemetery had scheduled one, but for January. An staff member told her the flowers were stolen.
"We lay our loved ones to rest so they could be at peace," Campos said. "Then, you get these people coming in here doing stuff like that."
Campos filed a theft report with San Antonio Police Friday morning. She said the burial park believes the suspects could be two women driving a black Nissan vehicle.
"Be honest. Don't be thieves," she said. "Don't be rats."
San Jose Burial Park management did not respond to KENS 5 about the Campos theft and the possibility of other victimized families.
SAPD's calls for service to the property shows nearly 80 calls to the 8235 Mission Road address over the past two years. Six of those incidents are vehicle break-ins, a burglary and two thefts, including the Campos case.
The family wants to put more flowers and decorations out for the upcoming holidays, but the theft leaves them unsure about continuing to honor their father that way.
"His heart was always in the right place," Campos said. "He doesn't this. Nobody does."