Man Says Officer Dumped His Grandmother's Ashes On Ground During Search

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CBS Local) -- A police officer in Kansas City inadvertently lost some of the cremated remains of a suspect's grandmother during a search of the man, officials said.

Officers stopped Deonta Words on May 30 during an investigation of a multi-state ring of auto dealership burglaries, according to the Kansas City Police Department.

During a search, which police said is department policy, officers found a necklace with a bullet attached to it, CBS affiliate KCTV reported. KCPD said the officer unscrewed the bullet to examine the contents, and a portion of the ashes fell out accidentally.

Officers said that's when Words told them his grandmother's ashes were inside.

"[The officer] never asked me what was in it or what was it. He just went ahead and dumped it on the ground," Deonta Words told WDAF.

Words said his grandmother, who passed away about a year ago, was like a mother.

"I miss her. I think about her every day. That's my heart, that's my baby. I'm her baby," he said.

The department said the officer apologized and tried to reclaim the remains from off the ground.

"I can't get her back. I can't get her ashes back," said Words. "I'm going to forever think about this."