'We are so devastated': Couple asks for relative's ashes to be returned

Leah Radons and her husband Brian are hoping for the return of a loved one’s ashes after they were stolen in Regina during a cross-Canada road trip.

The theft occurred when the couple was staying overnight at a hotel in the city’s northwest on March 21.

According to Regina police, the suspect gained entry to a parked vehicle on the 4300 block of Diefenbaker Drive and stole several items inside.

“On Wednesday morning we got up and had some breakfast and went out to the truck to find the driver side window smashed,” Leah said in a message to CTV News.

The couple began their journey from British Columbia to New Brunswick on March 17.

Leah, originally from Regina, planned to stay in the city with her husband for several days.

During the theft, their vehicle’s stereo, as well as Brian’s father’s ashes, were taken.

“When we left he had decided to keep them [the ashes] there for the drive because he said it gave him comfort knowing that he was there with him for the drive,” Leah said, regarding Brian’s decision to bring the ashes on the trip.

The couple carried onto their new home in New Brunswick after reporting the incident to police and getting their vehicle repaired.

Leah said she hopes there is progress in the search for her father-in-law’s remains.

“We are so devastated that this happened and are just trying to hold on to some bit of hope that maybe we will get him back,” she said.

Anyone with information regarding the theft or the whereabouts of the remains is encouraged to contact RPS.