Family Of Grieving Maine Kindergartner Asking That Special Stone Stolen From Gravesite Be Returned ASAP

It's one of those instances that leaves you shaking your head and wondering why...and all you can do is to hold out hope that someone will step up and right the wrong that's been done.

A mom from Penobscot County is trying to find the right words to help her grieving son understand why someone would take something that didn't belong to them, from the gravesite of his late father.

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Taylor Jae Richard's 5-year-old son lost his dad, David Patrick Underhill, known to his friends as "Red", in a car accident on February 6 of this year.

"He had a great bond with his dad; they enjoyed anything outdoors, mostly fishing, going to the park, and the trampoline park."

"Eli had a very hard time coping with his loss until we had his daddy’s burial in the beginning of August. All of his daddy’s side of family and friends were there, telling wonderful memories of his daddy, and we all laid him to rest, with tears in our eyes. Eli even got to put flowers on Daddy’s casket, and help lower him into his grave. This truly brought him closure and he’s been so much more comfortable and open with what he shares for memories."

Red was laid to rest in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Etna, where his family visits the grave on a regular basis.

"... Eli, has been grieving and trying to find small ways to feel close to his Daddy since he passed away in February of this year. Not long ago, Eli and I visited a ceramics shop to look for something meaningful to place on his daddy’s resting place. He spotted a stone with an engraved adult elephant and baby elephant and said, 'It’s like a daddy and a baby… like me and daddy!' The woman who owned the shop, touched by his words, gifted it to him so he could take it to the cemetery."

"He feels close to his daddy there, and being able to decorate his grave with his own gifts to daddy, was the thing that brought him the most comfort. We placed the stone there at the end of August."

But over the weekend, the stone that had come to mean so much to the boy was nowhere to be found.

"His Grandpa (daddy’s dad) visits the grave daily. The stone was there on October 24th, and gone on the 25th when Eli went with Grandpa to visit."

"That stone meant the world to him. Today, when Eli visited with his Grandpa, they found it was gone. Talk about a 5-year-old’s heart being shattered."

That wasn't the only thing missing, Richard says.

"A pumpkin that one of his/our close friends placed there was missing also."

Heartbroken for her son, she put an urgent plea out over social media for the return of the special stone.

"To whoever may have taken it, I am asking sincerely: please return the elephant stone. You can bring it back to the gravesite with no questions asked. This wasn’t just a decoration. It was a symbol of love and connection for a child who misses his father."

"This was a theft from a grieving child, and it cannot simply be ignored. Thank you to everyone who takes a moment to share this or keep an eye out. Our hope is that the right thing will be done, and that this meaningful piece of Eli’s heart will be brought back where it belongs."

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Richard says that friends have returned to the store where they were gifted the stone, and have found ones that are similar, but nothing can replace the original stone that Eli picked out. It's invaluable in it's meaning to the young boy.

"We’re just really hoping to get the exact stone returned, as it is very sentimental."

"We have not taken any legal course of action, as we’re hoping that we can resolve this through the community. We’re praying that whoever finds it will feel moved to return it, so this act of love can shine brighter than the wrong that took it."

If you're the one who took it, please put it back. If you know who might have it, please encourage them to do the right thing. This little guy has lost enough. Let's give him back some hope and healing.