Santa Rosa Man Grief-Stricken After Burglars Stole Wife's Ashes From Garage
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) -- A Santa Rosa man and his family are pleading for the return of his deceased wife's cremated remains.
Police said the ashes of Bill Clouse's wife were among several items stolen during a burglary at his home early Monday morning.
It happened in the 2000 block of Hilltop Court between 12:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. The thief entered Clouse's garage and made off with Sally Zaret's ashes inside a black plastic temporary urn, as well as a chainsaw, Craftsman router and a baby monitor, police said.
The family was asleep at the time, police Sgt. Marcus Sprague said.
Clouse, a retired drywall contractor, discovered the items were missing later Monday morning. He said Zaret died of cancer on June 28. The family planned to spread her ashes at the Sonoma Coast and in the Sierra Nevada.
"The rest I don't care about," Clouse told the Press Democrat. "I just want my wife's remains."
"Her grandchildren are very upset," said daughter Stephanie Habgood. "They want their grandma back."
Clouse says whoever took the ashes can drop them off at the Santa Rosa Memorial Park on Franklin Avenue, no questions asked.
Meanwhile, the Sonoma County Alliance has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the recovery of the urn and the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Santa Rosa police at (707) 543-3575.