He was unsure if the headstone had been removed for routine maintenance, or if something more unscrupulous had happened.
The obelisk was quite big and appeared to be solid marble and would have been difficult to remove.
The top part of the obelisk was lying in the grass near the grave, which suggested another theory — that the gravestone could have been swiped by students, Mr Shepard said.
Dunedin Monumental Masons owner Greg Morton said the headstone in question was at his Kaikorai Valley Rd premises because it was having two other names added to it.
The addition had been requested by the family, although he was unsure if more interments were planned for the plot.
A crane had been used to remove the headstone, which likely weighed over a tonne.
Removing tombstones for servicing was quite a common thing, he said.
"Good luck," he said.
Mr Speight died in 1928.
He managed the Speight's Brewery for many years after his father, founder James Speight, died in 1887.
For a time, the brewery was the largest in New Zealand.
In 1972, a tertiary student was charged in the Dunedin Magistrates Court for improperly interfering with human remains, after being found in possession of the skull of William Larnach which was removed from its resting place in a mausoleum in the Northern Cemetery.
The grave has been somewhat of a pilgrimage spot for fans of Speight’s beer, who will occasionally leave cans on the grave.
