'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
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.