CENTERVILLE, Indiana - (WHIO-TV) -- Police in Wayne County are looking for a group of vandals they said destroyed irreplaceable pieces of history and desecrated the memories of local families.

Last week, more than 100 headstones were damaged or destroyed in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Centerville, Indiana.

Now authorities are turning to the public for help in solving this horrifying crime.

The vandals targeted the oldest part of the cemetery and some of the graves have been there for nearly 200 years.

After three years on the job at the cemetery, Ron Crowe said he treats the residents here like his family and that's why he is taking what happened so personally. "I don't know where they get their jollies. I can't comprehend how you can have fun destroying monuments to other peoples lives," said Crowe.

Police said a group of people smashed dozens of headstones. "They'd throw it down here and break the stone in two," said Centerville Police Chief Larry Hart.

They knocked the gravestones over and moved other markers out of place. Authorities also believe they took some trophies home as well. "It upsets me," said Hart.

Hart said he was disgusted when his detective got the call. In this small town, the victim's of the vandalism could be anyone's spouse, sibling or child.

Chief Hart said, "It's heartbreaking for them. I sure don't like it either."

Ron Crowe isn't sure he will ever be able to fix some of the damage. "So those grave spots, don't remember where the stones were. I may not get back to the right spot," said Crowe.

Stealing their final place of rest, Crowe said, is the biggest crime of all, "It just makes me sick to my stomach. I don't know what more to say, just got a bad feeling in my gut."

Crowe has a major task ahead of him. He said it could take months to put the cemetery back together. In the meantime, Centerville, Indiana police want anyone with information to call them at 765-855-5222.