Grave Robbing refers to the suspected pilfering of buried remains, either by an individual or multiple parties. The most prominent location of this is the small graveyard in Palomino Creek, but further evidence of exhumation may be present at the cemetery in Vinewood in Los Santos. In these locations there appears to be either open graves or disturbed caskets which implies these burial sites have been exhumed after a burial has taken place.
The most compelling piece of evidence of grave robbing is the suspicious placement of a shovel pick up in the Palomino Creek cemetery. The shovel sits in front of a disturbed stone casket, whose stone seal lid clearly sits ajar. This placement implies the shovel was used to pry open the nearby casket and is clearly a piece of environmental storytelling. Exactly why this casket was cracked open, who is responsible or who was buried there remains a mystery.
Some have suggested the open casket as being a new addition to the cemetery and merely sits empty awaiting a burial ceremony for a recently deceased member of the community. This theory proposes that the shovel pickup may simply belong to an undertaker and exists to imply general work in the graveyard. However, this is unlikely as the casket is clearly aged and can be observed to glow at night, much like the Biowell. This glow is likely intended to imply decay, meaning it was once occupied by a corpse and the casket itself has been a fixture in the graveyard for some time.
This simple observation, combined with the clear environmental storytelling of the shovel pickup, confirms the existence of grave robbing in San Andreas.
Interestingly, pedestrians can be seen to frequent the Palomino Creek cemetery and pay their respects at particular headstones. This is unique in that it is the only known location in the entire state where pedestrians can be seen to visit graves. Some myth hunters have jumped to conclusions and mistake these people for grave robbers, however, these pedestrians have never been observed to interact with graves, the open casket or the shovel pickup in any way and are likely merely an attempt to simulate realism on the part of the developers.
Vinewood Cemetery
An open grave in the cemetery grounds
Vinewood cemetery is also a highly suspicious location as it is home to two open graves in the grounds and two more open or disturbed caskets in the mausoleum building in the western portion of the graveyard.
While some myth hunters have attributed the open graves to the work of a grave robber, these graves may be freshly dug additions to the graveyard and are simply awaiting a burial ceremony. It is interesting to note that both of the graves are unique in that they have collision on top of them, making them able to be walked on. This is unlike the grave in Ghost Town that appears after the mission High Noon.
An open casket in the mausoleum
Additionally, there are two cracked caskets in the mausoleum building in the western part of the cemetery. It seems someone has set up a comfortable retreat in the mausoleum as a television set, chair and pizza boxes are present next to one of the cracked caskets. While this may simply imply the presence of an undertaker or night watchman, the general consensus seems to be that this is a direct reference to the TV Show Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Ultimately, it's central location in the city and the higher number of nearby pedestrians at all hours makes the Vinewood cemetery an unlikely location of grave robbing. It is logical to assume that a prospective graver robber would opt for more secluded areas to perform exhumations, such as the Palomino Creek graveyard. The open graves and caskets present may be simply new additions to the graveyard and awaiting burial ceremonies.
Ghost Town and Mass Grave
Some myth hunters believe the Ghost Town graveyard of El Castillo del Diablo to be another target of potential grave robbers. This claim has yet to be substantiated as no evidence of exhumations of the site can be seen. It is possible that some people are confusing the open grave that appears after the mission High Noon. In the mission, CJ is forced to dig the grave to dispose of Jimmy Hernandez's body and his own. Additionally, other myth hunters conflate the nearby Mass Grave with the grave robbing conspiracy, however, this appears to be merely environmental story telling. The piece acts as an ohmage to the infamous history of real world Las Vegas which was traditionally run by the mob, who were thought to dispatch of problematic people to their empire and dispose of them in the surrounding desert.
Video Investigations
  
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