The unlawful disturbance, opening, or removal of contents from a grave, tomb or other place of burial, historically committed to steal jewelry or valuable grave goods or, in a documented nineteenth century practice known as body snatching, to steal a corpse itself for sale to anatomy schools before the passage of laws permitting the legal donation of bodies for medical study. It is criminalized in most jurisdictions as a distinct offense from ordinary theft or trespass, reflecting a legal and cultural interest in protecting the sanctity of burial and the dignity of the dead, and continues to occur in the present day both in connection with the theft of grave goods and, in an archaeological context, the illegal looting of ancient burial sites for antiquities.
Facts
Elements of OffenseGrave robbery is the act of uncovering a grave, tomb or crypt in order to steal its contents, historically valuables such as jewelry or grave goods, or, in the documented nineteenth century practice of body snatching, the corpse itself. 1 Notable ExampleOne of the best documented grave-robbery attempts in the United States occurred on the evening of November 7, 1876, when a group of counterfeiters attempted to steal the body of former President Abraham Lincoln from his grave in Springfield, Illinois. 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
Has Offense Grade
Entity-backed identity for the offense-grade enum value this offense already carries, resolved to a crime concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The offense-grade fact itself stays on the offense unchanged.
Sources
1. Grave robbery (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia, Grave robbery, introduction
Grave robbery, tomb robbing, or tomb raiding is the act of uncovering a grave, tomb or crypt to steal commodities
Wikipedia, Grave robbery, article body, Lincoln grave-robbery attempt
One notable historical incident occurred during the evening of November 7, 1876, when a group of counterfeiters attempted to steal Abraham Lincoln's body from his grave in Springfield, Illinois
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.