Couple Offers $250 Reward for Stolen Urn

A $250 reward is being offered for the return of an urn containing the remains of a woman, San Diego police said Wednesday.

The urn, which was stolen from the home of a vacationing Rancho Bernardo couple, holds the remains of their 29-year-old daughter, San Diego Police Detective Pauli Shields said.

It was stolen sometime between July 7 and July 9, Shields said. Police had followed some leads, but with no success, Shields said.

On Tuesday, the couple decided to offer a reward for the return of the urn or for information about its location, Shields said.

“This is like a last resort,” Shields said. “These people are absolutely devastated. They’ve lost their daughter again.”

The couple, who asked not to be identified, were keeping the remains of their daughter so the family could be interred in the same location later, Shields said. Their daughter died of heart disease 10 years ago.

Shields said she suspected the thieves took the urn because they mistook it for a jewelry box. The urn is a 6-inch square cube with a tree embossed on the lid. The name of the woman, the funeral home and a date are imprinted inside.

If the urn is returned to a funeral home, church or police station, it will be returned to its owners, Shields said.