DULUTH, Ga. - The memorial for a 20-year-old man killed in a motorcycle accident just over a year ago was vandalized in Duluth.
Family and friends of Andrew Carson told FOX 5 the cross sits at the site where Carson died last March.
"We pass by here on our way to and from work," Lori Carson, Andrew's mom said.
Saturday night when Andrew's former girlfriend, Natalia, drove by the intersection she saw the disheartening acts.
"I was in disbelief," Natalia Tsacheva said. "I immediately texted Andrew's mom asking her if we could take it down."
The family says sometime between 10 a.m and 3 p.m. Saturday someone went to Andrew's cross peeled off the letters of his name and kicked over the flowers.
"They took lipstick and wrote "Fred Bowens" on the cross and it looks like someone put the lipstick on and kissed the cross as well," Carson said.
Carson said when Natalia told her the news, she was stunned.
"I fell to my knees and cried," Carson said. "It was a gut wrenching feeling all over again. I couldn't imagine who could do such a thing."
At first Carson said she didn't know what to do.
"I wanted to just keep the cross safe at home...almost like Andrew," Carson told FOX 5.
But quickly Carson found the silver lining....
"Natalia and I stayed up sanding the graffiti off, and we added logos of Andrew's favorite teams plus pictures," Carson said.
It's not just a cross with a name on it...for Andrew's family and friends, it is Andrew.
"It's a way for us to keep him alive in our memories," Carson said.