'It's terrible': Family searches for urn containing ashes stolen from Victoria home
A Victoria family is reaching out to the community in an effort to track down a stolen urn that contained a family member's ashes.
Victoria police say the urn is believed have been stolen sometime between July 27 and Aug. 1, when the home was unoccupied.
Resident Madeline Milne says she heard about the theft on Monday afternoon. Milne has been in Kelowna for work for the past several weeks, and her roommate had been gone for the August long weekend.
When her roommate returned on Monday, she noticed the back door of the home was open.
"She didn't immediately notice anything was missing but then (after) a quick look around she realized the urn was missing," said Milne.
Milne says there was no sign of forced entry.
The roommate called Victoria police and Milne's family posted an appeal on social media for help tracking down the urn.
Since then, the post has garnered thousands of reactions and more than 600 comments, according to Milne.
"That box has been in our family for about 15 years now, and it's very sentimental," she said.
The urn, known as a bentwood box, was purchased by Milne's mother after her stepfather passed away.
A portion of her stepfather's ashes, and all of her mother's ashes, were inside of the box when it was stolen, she says.
"It's terrible," she said. "My mother would probably care less (about the box), but just the indignity of being tossed into a garbage can or on the side of the road, that's horrific."
According to police and Milne, nothing else was stolen from inside the home.
"I can tell you this feels very disappointing and somewhat disturbing to learn that a family member – family members in this case – ashes were in the urn that was clearly targeted," said Victoria police Const. Cam MacIntyre.
"When you look at all the other available options in what that thief could have targeted, and they took the urn," he said.
Milne learned some positive news on Tuesday afternoon, however.
She says someone from Sands Funeral Home contacted her on Monday evening saying they had received some ashes over the weekend.
The funeral home then set out to identify the remains, and on Tuesday afternoon the funeral home told Milne that the ashes were confirmed to be her mother's.
The remains of her stepfather, and the bentwood box itself, remain missing at this time.
Milne's mother, Moralea Milne, was a Metchosin municipal councillor who died in a car crash in 2018. This past weekend marked the third anniversary of her passing.
Anyone with information on the urn or the incident is asked to call Victoria police at 250-995-7654 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Person engulfed in flames outside N.Y. courthouse where Trump trial underway, says CNN
A person was covered in flames outside the New York courthouse where former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial is underway, CNN reported on Friday.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.