"You can’t ever get them back": Granddaughter’s plea for stolen ashes
Grieving teenager Jakoda Williams-Boyce has pleaded with thieves for the return of her grandmother’s ashes.
The theft occurred when the 19-year-old from Adelaide left her nana’s remains in the boot of her grey Mitsubishi Lancer after parking it on Amadeus Crescent in Christie Downs. The car was stolen at some point between Thursday evening and Friday morning with the urn still inside.
Jakoda had been living with her grandmother, Sharon, when she passed away at the age of 64. The family had been in possession of Sharon’s remains ever since, until they came under Jakoda’s care four weeks ago.
In images shared with 9News, Jakoda can be seen cradling the precious urn, and smiling in an old photograph with her nana alongside the caption “10 months today. I love you my angel.”
“I will say, it is my own fault for putting that personal item there, but I didn’t think twice. I shouldn’t have to worry about people on the street,” the teenager admitted, speaking to 9News.
It remains unclear how thieves got their hands on the car, as the keys and the car’s battery remain with Jakoda, though glass was reportedly scattered across the scene.
Police have so far been unable to locate the vehicle, but their search continues, with Jakoda issuing an emotional plea to the thieves for the safe return of her nana, confessing that it feels like losing her beloved grandmother for a second time.
“Me, personally, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing that I’ve stolen the car with someone’s cremations in the backseat,” she said, “you can’t ever get them back.”
Jakoda’s interests lie solely in getting the ashes back, with the distraught teenager telling reporters, “I would ask the question of ‘why’, but I wouldn’t go any further.
“Hopefully, when I do get them back, I want to take them to the funeral director and put them into, like, the ground. So I can't lose them."
Image: 9News