Orange County sheriff’s investigators Friday were working to determine who vandalized the front door of Mission San Juan Capistrano.
Orange County sheriff’s deputies were called about 6:30 a.m. Friday when the vandalism was discovered, said Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
The vandal spray-painted a heart on the door with an asterisk and the letters “LM” in the heart. The vandalism also included the numbers “95” and the words, “best wishes.”
Deputies were working to determine if the cryptic message was a prank, Braun said. The crime was done sometime between 4 p.m. Thursday, when the mission was closed for the day, and about 6:30 a.m. Friday, she said.
“We were so saddened to have to close our doors and cancel our holiday programming, and this morning awoke to even more disappointing news when it was discovered someone decided to damage 244 years of history with vandalism,” the mission said on its Facebook page.
“We need your help now more than ever,” the mission said as it solicited donations to shore up increased costs of security and maintenance.