GREAT MEADOWS, N.J. – The remains of the earthly departed may not be the only things buried at the Pequest Union Cemetery.

The mystery unfolded a decade ago when a 7-foot beautifully carved statue of an angel vanished from atop the Albertson family monument.

Now the long-cold case is warming up thanks to an anonymous letter mailed to police and the cemetery association last week.

“The letter writer said he observed people the writer recognized as local residents removing the angel using a lift truck,” township police Lt. James V. Sharkey said.

Sharkey said the unknown tipster went on to write that “the statue was then buried somewhere on the cemetery property.”

So why would someone go through all the trouble to remove the statue and then bury it?

Sharkey said he learned on possible answer from other detectives when he brought the case to them in 1998.

“The statues get stolen and they sell them to people with a lot of money for ground ornaments,” he said. This statue was valued at $9,000 in 1998.

The lieutenant theorizes the statue broke while thieves removed it, rendering it worthless to them. Thus, the burial.

The likelihood of the crime being the work of young pranksters is low, he added.

Sharkey stood near the monument on a recent afternoon and noticed a chip in the stone pedestal.

“How did that get there?” he said. “There’s nothing around here that would cause that, no trees.”

Those who know Sharkey also know he doesn’t like unsolved crimes. But he said an anonymous letter naming specific people as the thieves is all he has right now. He wouldn’t release the names.

“That’s not enough,” he said. “I’m hoping this man will let us know where in the cemetery the statue is buried. I also hope he would come in and give a statement.”

The cemetery is large. Sharkey said the cost of searching the areas where no graves exist would be too high.

Sharkey said he needs more help from the anonymous letter writer to crack the case.

The theft was reported to police on May 30, 1998. Sharkey said he spoke to a family member at the time, but it might be hard to track her down now.