Laurie Snyder says the comforting sounds of windchimes at her father-in-law's grave were silenced by a thief weeks ago.

"I think it's awful. I mean, I don't see how they can live with themself. It makes you not want to put anything else on it because you're afraid it'll get stolen," said Snyder.

But today, she's looking forward to hearing their song again and putting an angel figurine back in its place after investigators say they arrested the thief and recovered lots of stolen graveside mementos.

"It made me happy because I knew I could wash it up and fix it and put it back on Daddy's grave," said Snyder as she cradled a small ceramic angel.

For some, reuniting with items they thought were gone forever was just too much to bear.

"It's a good feeling, but it's sad. It's just so sad," said Nina Newby, as she looked over a set of wind chimes she recognized as her own.

Investigators charged Rosemary McDaniel with receiving stolen property after they say they found all the items in her car, but they say she told them she had an innocent-enough reason for taking them.

"She claimed she had taken items from different people's grave sites and was going to take them back to her residence and was going to either clean or refurbish them, and then at a later date, return them back to their grave sites kind of like a cemetery Robin Hood," said Lieutenant Rodney Van Zant of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.

But those who were missing them aren't buying that story.

"No. She was going to sell them at the flea market, or possibly buy drugs," said Snyder.

McDaniel was also charged with public intoxication. WKYT reached out to McDaniel to talk about the charges, but she declind the request.