Ancient American Indian burial mounds in Southern Illinois have been damaged and possibly looted, prompting the state's historical agency to call for the public's help in identifying the culprits.
Last month, someone dug several holes in a portion of Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site, a town and religious center of the Mississippian culture of 1,000 years ago, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency said Friday.
The culprits were probably searching for "grave goods" that Native Americans buried with their dead, although it's unclear if any artifacts or human remains were taken, the agency said. More damage was done to the site recently when an all-terrain vehicle or truck was driven on one of the mounds, where "No Trespassing" signs are posted and ATVs are prohibited, the agency said.
"The criminal disturbance of these human burials in Kincaid Mounds is unconscionable," said Amy Martin, the agency's director. "We hope to apprehend those who are responsible, which will serve as a deterrent to others who may be considering the desecration of our state's heritage."
The site, about 170 miles southeast of St. Louis, has been targeted [in 2008].
The disturbance of archaeological sites or skeletal remains on state-owned property can be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, a $10,000 fine, reparations and forfeiture of any vehicles or equipment used in the misdeed. Unsettling of burial sites on public land also may be a felony carrying a three-year prison term and $25,000 fine.
"These mounds are a unique, irreplaceable part of our heritage, and to destroy them for the sake of amusement or profit is a despicable act," Martin said.
For more, including information about a 2010 looter conviction see the AP article.
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road