SAN ANTONIO – In late February, KSAT reported a story about a group of families who said the owner of Angelic Monuments took their money but never delivered the headstones they ordered for their loved ones.
After that story aired, more families came forward, saying the same thing had happened to them and none of them could get a hold of the company’s owner, Elena Moreno.
“It hurts to go and visit him. He has no stone,” Veronica Sanchez said through tears.
Sanchez lost her father in September 2022.
In February 2023, she ordered him a headstone through Angelic Monuments, paying $4,252.
“She sketched it out the way we wanted it. She was very nice,” Sanchez said.
However, three months after she paid, Sanchez could not reach Moreno.
Six months in, Moreno called to tell Sanchez she was having to close her business due to a personal situation.
“I felt bad, and I said, ‘I’m sorry to hear that. However, that has nothing to do with my contract.’ And from that point on, we never heard from her,” Sanchez said.
It has now been over a year since Sanchez ordered the headstone.
Sanchez is one of six new families who contacted KSAT about their loved ones’ headstones. One bought the stone for herself as preparation.
This was after the first KSAT report, which included six other families who said they paid for headstones but never received them.
Through paperwork, KSAT confirmed the new families that came forward spent a combined total of almost $15,000.
Adding that to the more than $26,000 the first group of six families paid, that grand total is around $40,000.
When that first KSAT story ran, Moreno had deleted her Facebook page, and three different phone numbers no longer worked or went unanswered.
Now, the Facebook page seems to be up and running again, and it also looks like she now has an active TikTok page.
After that first story ran, Sanchez said Moreno finally contacted her, giving her a new phone number and the address to what she called her new business location on Commercial Avenue.
“Because I was very persistent in contacting her. I would call her three or 4 or 5 times a day. I think she probably got tired of it,” Sanchez said.
However, when Sanchez called that new number, she said Elena never answered or came to the phone when another woman picked up.
Sanchez said her sister then called the number and got a hold of Elena, who she said seemed to be back in business.
“She was very professional about the call. She said, ‘Yes, yes, I sell headstones and what are you looking for?‘” Sanchez said.
Then, her sister gave her dad’s name and asked about his stone.
“Her attitude changed from that point on, and then she kept hanging up on my sister,” Sanchez said.
KSAT decided to go to the new location during business hours as well. It was locked.
We called and left messages three times that have not been returned.
The business name on the door is not Angelic Monuments. It is a company that says it offers life insurance and funeral services. The Assumed Business Name certificate filed with the Bexar County Clerk’s Office shows that the paperwork was filed on February 24, 2024.
That company is owned by another woman, not Elena Moreno.
We chose not to mention the business name at this time because we don’t know how closely that owner works with Moreno, if at all.
KSAT could not get a hold of that business owner either.
Several families filed claims with the Better Business Bureau, which has now opened an official investigation.
When the first story aired, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) had not launched that official investigation yet.
When we asked what changed, BBB Senior Director of Media Relations Jason Meza said, “It was prompted by the large volume of responses complaints reviews and response to the story on KSAT as well.”
Meza said the investigation would be serious and thorough and could take weeks or months.
“Everything we find with redacted information, we put on our website on BBB.org so anyone can go look at what we know, what we’ve seen,” he said.
That basically serves as a warning to other potential customers, but they will also turn their results over to law enforcement.
“We’re not an enforcement agency. We are here to be the middle person to establish communication,” Meza said.
If that message reaches SAPD, they’ll already be familiar with the information.
Four families have already filed police reports against Moreno claiming theft, and two more say they plan to.
“I’m going to continue to fight until I recover my dad’s stone or my money. My dad doesn’t deserve this. No one deserves this. You know, no families should be going through this,” Sanchez said.
SAPD has confirmed that property theft detectives are actively investigating these cases. If they find enough evidence, they say they could potentially issue a warrant.
Right now, Elena Moreno has not been charged with a crime and KSAT has found no reports of a criminal record.
The BBB is asking anyone else with information to report it to them.