3 Guard Dogs Stabbed, 1 Fatally, At Compton Cemetery

COMPTON, CA — The owner of a landmark Compton cemetery says she plans to sell the business after three of her guard dogs were stabbed this weekend -- one fatally -- in addition to years of vandalism and theft.

"After exhausting every effort within my power, this most recent tragedy has become the breaking point," Woodlawn Celestial Gardens owner Celeste Bishop said in a Facebook post Friday.

Bishop said someone broke onto her property in an attempt to steal equipment and remove metal headstones. During the incident, the individual stabbed three guard dogs multiple times, resulting in the death of one of the dogs, she said.

Bishop described the dog as "not only a protector of these sacred grounds but a member of my family."

The owner said Woodlawn "has endured ongoing theft of memorial headstones, repeated trespassing, [and] verbal attacks from members of the community."

Bishop said Friday's crime was the last straw.

"After exhausting every effort within my power, this most recent tragedy has be come my breaking point. Effective immediately, Woodlawn Celestial Gardens will be placed on the market and will begin accepting offers as of April 11, 2026," she stated.

The attack comes after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors renewed and increased a pair of reward offers on March 17 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for vandalizing Woodlawn -- along with Lincoln Memorial Park in Carson -- in 2024, stealing bronze plaques and memorial markers.

Supervisor Holly Mitchell described Woodlawn as "one of the oldest operating cemeteries in Los Angeles County," dating back to the 1880s.

"The cemetery contains the gravesites of numerous prominent figures and many local military veterans dating back to the Civil War and the Spanish- American War," the supervisors' motion stated. "The property owner estimates the financial loss to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. To date, no witnesses or suspect(s) have been identified to further this investigation."

The previous reward offer in the Woodlawn case was $20,000, but the board on March 17 increased it to $25,000.

On Jan. 12, 2024, Lincoln Memorial Park in Carson was hit by vandals who ripped bronze markers and plaques from headstones and walls of a mausoleum. According to Mitchell, damage from that heist was estimated to be more than $2 million.

Both reward offers were approved unanimously by the board without discussion. The rewards were initially offered in 2024.

No suspects have been identified in either crime.

Anyone with information on the vandalism was urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

— City News Service