The Time Someone Stole a Hyundai Tucson Holding Both Parents’ Remains

A theft before the funeral

Magnusson had driven from Texas to Greeley, Colorado, for her parents’ funeral. The night before the service, someone took her 2016 Hyundai Tucson, which contained her parents’ remains and irreplaceable mementos.

Among the stolen items was her father’s military service flag. Everything was eventually found and returned, but the recovery came weeks after the funeral had ended. The Tucson’s ignition, steering column and door locks were damaged.

Theft numbers and vehicle security

Car thefts fell 17% in 2024 compared with 2023, then dropped another 23% in 2025. Those were the largest annual declines in four decades, while 2023 had the highest number of stolen cars in that period.

Other stolen cremains cases

The Tucson was not the only vehicle reported stolen with human cremains inside. At least five such cases were reported online earlier in the year: Indianapolis in May, Albuquerque in June, Oakland, California, in August, and Warren, Michigan, and Chicago in September.

A theft can put the ashes themselves at risk. The article notes that a thief might open an urn to look for valuables, potentially spilling the cremains.

Storing ashes and valuables

Cremains are mostly inorganic materials, including calcium phosphate and other mineral salts, so bacteria and other microbes generally do not grow on them. Moisture can still affect them: wet ashes may clump into a thick paste, which can be dried and pulverized again.

Urns and temporary containers left in a car may attract thieves, even when hidden under clothing or beneath a seat. Some law enforcement agencies say the safest place for loose items in a vehicle is the trunk.