Christmas Tree Stolen From Child's Grave

DICKSON, Tenn. -- A family in Dickson County is dealing with the theft of a very special Christmas tree.

Video: Thieves Take Christmas Tree From Late Child's Grave

For 13-years, Brad Tidwell has decorated his daughter's grave for Christmas. He makes it a family affair.

“It was just a way for us to show her we were thinking about her,” he said.

Brittany Tidwell was 3 years old when she died; some of her siblings weren't even born.

But every year, all of them pull out Brittany’s special purple Christmas tree and set it up at her grave, then go in search of a new ornament to hang on it.

“This year, we picked out a bell with a snowman on top of it,” said Brittany's sister, Jessica Tidwell.

Every ornament bears Brittany's name. But this year, thieves did the unthinkable.

“Last Thursday, a friend of mine called and asked us if we'd taken the tree off the grave,” Brad Tidwell said.

But they hadn't, he said.

Brad Tidwell said thieves had stolen the tree and all the ornaments that prove how much her family misses her.

“It pretty much ripped our hearts out,” Brad Tidwell said.

“It hurts to know someone would steal from a grave, especially from a child,” said Jessica Tidwell.

There are countless Christmas trees in the cemetery, but Brittany's tree stood out from the others because it was in her favorite color: purple.

“That's pretty much all she ever played with, crayons and markers and stuff like that,” Brad Tidwell said.

The family said they knew they had to replace it.

“We got lucky and found one in Clarksville,” Brad Tidwell said.

They didn't leave the new tree at the cemetery past Christmas and they said they can never replace all those precious ornaments.

But while their hearts may be broken this holiday season, they want those thieves to know they didn't kill this family's Christmas spirit.

“I pray by them taking it, they needed it worse than my daughter did,” he said.

The Tidwells said they hope someone will hear their story and recognize Brittany's purple Christmas tree with all the ornaments that bear Brittany's name.