By JOSH AULT
6 News Reporter
OAKDALE (WATE) - A Morgan County family is heartbroken after someone stole the wreath on a memorial to their son who died in a car crash 5 years ago.
Jordan Langley, 16, and a fellow student, Jason Neal, 13, both died on December 11 on Airport Road in Oakdale. They were on their way to school.
The families of both boys erected two 6-foot tall crosses where the boys died.
Since Jordan's death, his family has had a tradition of putting a Christmas wreath on his cross.
"This year I kind of went above and beyond," said Connie Reynolds, Jordan's aunt. "I bought a wreath that had LED lights on it, added to it with beautiful poinsettias, flowers, fruit."
The wreath was placed on his cross on Saturday. By Wednesday, it had been stolen.
"It's really painful," said Joann Lawson, Jordan's mother. "I would like to say whoever took it. I hope when they watch this their face burns with shame and embarrassment that they stooped so low because the cross didn't mean anything to nobody, but for us it brings comfort."
The family already replaced the stolen wreath with another one.
Jordan's family says this is not the first time his cross has been vandalized. It actually has been stolen several times. They had to put cement in the ground to make sure no one takes it.
"I would just wonder why they would do that," said Reynolds. "If they have a heart just bring the wreath back, set it at the guardrail. We'll put it up."
"You tend to take it as a personal insult," said Lawson. "Somebody might had seen the wreath and said hey that's pretty, I want it. It wasn't theirs to take, and you just take it as a personal insult."
Jordan's family says December is also a difficult month, because along with the crash anniversary, it is also Jordan's birthday. They will be celebrating it on December 17.
"It brings us comfort, just leave it alone," said Lawson. "It's all we are asking,"
Jordan's family is unsure why people are targeting the cross. He was a very popular student in high school, and the area where the cross stands is very hard to reach by foot.
They say they plan to continue the tradition of putting the wreath on the memorial each December.
A Morgan County family is upset after someone stole the wreath from their son's roadside memorial.
