Alameda County sheriff's deputies arrested three people Thursday on suspicion of slipping into Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview after midnight, breaking into a columbarium and stealing six ash-filled urns and metal containers.

Cemetery General Manager Tom Gratny said the break-in was the first of its kind in the cemetery's 130-year history. All six urns were recovered Thursday, he added. Lt. Dale Amaral identified those arrested as Nathaniel A. Reed, 21, Jason Lind, 24, and Jessica R. Bonham, 21, all of Castro Valley. Investigators were searching for two other people Thursday who may have been involved.

One investigator said the suspects were intoxicated at the time and described the incident as a "drunken rampage."

The break-in was reported at about 12:30 a.m. by a neighbor who reported hearing unusual noises. The caller reported seeing several people running from the cemetery grounds.

The intruders had entered the cemetery by scaling a fence and apparently timed their midnight excursion to coincide with what they thought was a full moon, investigators said.

Deputies coming to the area stopped a car containing Reed, Lind and Bonham.

When investigators went to the cemetery, they found that a columbarium -- a vault equipped with niches for urns containing cremated remains -- had been kicked in. In addition, six urns and metal containers had been removed.

Two of the containers were found in the suspects' car and the four remaining urns were found on the cemetery property. One urn had been shattered and the ashes it contained spilled on the ground, investigators said.

Detective Jim Messina said the suspects described themselves as "Goths" -- in reference to a Gothic subculture known for dark clothing and makeup and a fascination with death and the macabre.

"The motivation is something we're still looking into," Messina said, noting that the subjects were apparently intoxicated at the time. He said that Bonham, in the past, had had photographs of herself taken next to headstones. The photos were then sometimes posted on the Internet.

Authorities said it is possible that the suspects intended to photograph the urns and ashes.

Detective David Dickson said the suspects claimed Thursday they had never before removed urns. He said they would be contacting other cemeteries in the Bay Area.

Police had no immediate estimate of the damage but said it would likely be in the thousands of dollars.

Gratny said he had met with the families affected by the incident Thursday.

He said he expected to have the engraving on the new niche shutters in the columbarium finished by today.

Reed, Lind and Bonham were booked on one felony count each of cemetery vandalism and six felony counts each of removing human remains from a place of interment.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Detective Messina at (510) 667-3638 or Detective Dickson at (510) 667-4906.

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