Less than a week after asking the public for help, Edmonton police were able return a small urn that was found during a December traffic stop to its rightful owners.
On Wednesday afternoon, a police officer was able to return it to a member of the Edmonton-area family.
Police said it was lost, not stolen, and the family thought they’d never see the memorial piece again. The family member said they were “very pleased” to have the urn back.
The urn is beige, has a sandy-looking texture and appears to have a set of tiny footprints on the lid.
Officers said it was recovered during a traffic stop downtown. EPS said the driver had outstanding warrants and denied ownership of the urn.
Police began searching databases for reports of lost or stolen urns, but were unable to find the family.
“What we do know is this particular – it’s called a sandstone urn – the sandstone urn, locally it’s been circulated for about six years, but it’s generic,” EPS spokesperson Steve Sharpe said on June 24. “There’s one particular funeral director who says they’ve been using it there for six years, but again we look for identifiable marks. There’s nothing that can lead us to a potential owner.”
The EPS said a number of people called them suspecting the urn belonged to them or someone they knew. Police fielded calls from Edmonton, rural Alberta, B.C. and Quebec. They conducted a series of checks to ensure the urn was returned to the correct family, including validating dates, the funeral home location and getting a correct description of the blanket the urn was originally wrapped in.
Edmonton police seize more than 100,000 lost or stolen items every year, but an urn is especially unique.
In the past 30 years, only half a dozen urns have been in the EPS’ possession.
*EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally posted on June 24 and was updated on June 29 when the urn was returned.
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