Crime & Safety

Holiday Miracle: Wife Recovers Husband's Stolen Ashes

Just days before Christmas, the thief who stole Lynn Merchant's husband's ashes in August returned them.

Bob Merchant always had a habit of showing up in unexpected places.

In death, he was no different. When a thief stole his ashes months ago, Merchant's wife assumed she would never see them again.

But Lynn Merchant received the shock of her life when she walked outside onto her front porch one morning the week of Christmas.

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"We have a plant rack, and there, sitting next to the cactus, was the little box (with the ashes)," Lynn Merchant said. "I was totally blown away."

Laughing, she added, "This is kind of typical of what would happen to him."

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Bob Merchant died of liver cancer in April. Beloved for his sense of humor and generosity, family and friends say his death left a huge void in their lives.

Lynn Merchant had planned to scatter her husband's ashes in Las Vegas to commemorate his August birthday. However, hours before Lynn Merchant was set to leave for Las Vegas, a thief stole a portion of Bob Merchant's ashes from a rental car parked in the driveway of the couple's Arcadia home.

The family surmised the thief took the ashes because the box containing them was in a velvet pouch that resembled a jewelry bag.

The Merchant family did scatter the ashes they had with help from Bob Merchant's friends, but always kept up the hope that the thief would return the stolen ashes.

When the ashes turned up, it came as a complete surprise to Lynn Merchant.

"I thought someone would just throw them in the trash," she said.

It turns out, honor among thieves exists.

"They decided to make my Christmas and clear their conscience at the same time," Lynn Merchant said.


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