Lower than Low: Thief Steals September 11 Memorial

Police are asking the public to report any leads regarding the theft, and tips can be phoned in to Falmouth Police Department at (508) 457-2526.

Neilie Casey was unfortunately a victim of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and lost her life on American Airlines Flight 11. Her family created a memorial to her at a point called Nobska Light, which was a favorite place of Neilie’s, and also where husband Michael proposed to her. The family received assistance from Senator Ted Kennedy to obtain the location, and a plaque and bench were placed there (click for photo of plaque). While the memorial is a tribute that anyone can visit to remember Neilie as well as others lost that day, and it is a memento of a national tragedy, it has special significance for the family. It’s not surprising that the family would cherish the memorial, but it’s even more important to them because they have no remains of their beloved Neilie. Neilie’s mother, Anne Heffernan, said the bench was stolen some time back but was shocked that the plaque too had now been stolen. It had been pried away from a stone-facing, the bar used to steal it left lying nearby. The value to a thief is the metal from which the plaque is made. That someone could sell a treasured memorial as scrap is inconceivable. Even Senator Kennedy offered comments, noting both that he was “deeply saddened,” as well as issuing a call for the thief to return it because it means so much to the family. It has meaning for many other people as well, and the family indicated that people who didn’t even know Nielie often visited and even left flowers.