Ashes Of Hammond Woman Stolen In Home Burglary
Updated 11/12/10 - 4:57 p.m.
HAMMOND, Ind (CBS) -- A Hammond man said Friday that he wants the burglars who broke into his home to return his wife's ashes.
Someone broke into Christopher Washington's home on Thursday and stole two televisions, some jewelry and other items, including a sealed cardboard box containing the ashes of his wife, Tracy.
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Tracy Francisco-Washington, 40, lost her battle with cancer six months ago. She had been a French and Spanish teacher at St. Francis de Sales High School in Chicago.
Her husband was keeping her cremated remains in a sealed cardboard box in his bedroom closet.
He said that he and his son were planning to take trip to Spain this summer to do something special with the ashes. He said his wife would have liked that.
"I don't care about anything else," Christopher Washington said. "Just do the right thing and give it back to us. That was my wife and his mother.
CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports that the burglars likely didn't know what they were stealing when they took the box.
Someone broke in through Washington's back door sometime between 9 a.m. and noon on Thursday. When Washington got home, he found the house ransacked, including his bedroom and his son's.
"They stole his flat screen TV," Washington said.
They also took his 11-year-old son's birthday presents and caused thousands of dollars in damage to the home, Washington said.
And they trashed the basement, taking all his wife's jewelry.
"I don't care about any of that at. All I want is her ashes back," he said. "That was my wife - his mother. She died six months ago and it's been real hard on us."
Hammond Police scoured the property looking for clues. As neighbors offered hugs and encouragement, Washington said he just hopes whoever took the remains returns them so he can follow through with his plan to spread the ashes in Spain.
"She was a French and Spanish teacher and we planned on taking a trip to Spain and doing something with her ashes there. I think she would have liked that," Washington said.
The person who burglarized this house could go from zero to hero by leaving that box somewhere where it could be found.
Then again, with several sets of fingerprints and one eyewitness description, Hammond police might find the burglars first.
Washington said he is worried about his son.
"He's already dealing with his mom's death,'' he said.
Several Hammond police investigators were in the neighborhood on Friday, knocking on neighbor's doors, asking questions and searching for evidence.
Some neighbors stopped by to give Washington a hug after hearing the news.
Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller said the burglary is just sickening. He has been personally involved in the investigation.
Miller said the ashes could be turned over to the police, no questions asked.
"We really just want to get the ashes back at this point."
