Neighbors hope to reunite family with mystery urn found in their gated community
By Micaela Marshall
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PHOENIX (KPHO) — Neighbors in a gated west Phoenix community said they are stumped after finding an urn under a tree. They don’t know where it came from or how it got there and hope spreading the word on Arizona’s Family will help find whoever may be missing it.
On the urn, there’s an angel and the message, “It broke our hearts to lose you, but you did not go alone. For part of us went with you on the day God called you home.”
“The dedication is beautiful,” said Lorena Gutierrez. She is curious about where the urn came from. It was spotted under a tree in a park in her West Valley neighborhood about two weeks ago. “It was out of place. It just seemed odd,” she said.
She is the Neighborhood Block Watch Captain and said it doesn’t appear to belong to anyone in their gated community near 91st Avenue and Camelback Road. “My husband opened it up, and sure enough, there were ashes inside,” she said.
Gutierrez does have a theory on how it got there. “We believe that it was possibly stolen and maybe somebody thought there was something valuable inside and when they opened it realized, you know, it was ashes and they were like well where are we gonna put them? And I guess a grassy area makes sense,” she said.
She said this is a newer development, and parts are still under construction, so the gates aren’t always closed, and there have been issues with trespassing lately.
Gutierrez points out there have been break-ins in the neighborhood next door, so she wonders if thieves possibly hopped a fence into the park. “I have my mother’s ashes and, you know, they’re very precious to me. I think anybody who, you know, has their loved ones ashes would want this back. I think it would just be disheartening to me if that had happened to my mom’s ashes,” said Gutierrez.
She hopes to solve the mystery and reunite a family with their late loved one. “I’m sorry that you’re missing them, and hopefully, you know, you guys can find the rightful owner, and they can find peace because, like I said, that’s disheartening,” she said.
Gutierrez took the urn for safekeeping and said if it belongs to you, please contact us here at Arizona’s Family so we can help facilitate a reunion.
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