A central Alberta woman says she’s been forced to grieve the deaths of her parents again, after her mother’s ashes, and an irreplaceable heirloom, along with other belongings and two kittens were taken during a break and enter over the Christmas holidays.
RCMP said the home belonging to Elizabeth Hanson and her husband is located south of Sylvan Lake, and suspects broke into it at some point between December 17 and 27.
A number of items were taken, two kittens, jewelry, firearms and samurai swords.
For Hanson, a few of the stolen items stand out, they’re items she could never replace: a wooden urn, with a floral design on the outside, containing the ashes of her mother.
“It’s hard enough losing her when she died, but now we have to go through that grieving process, in some ways, all over again,” Hanson told CTV News.
Also stolen, her late father’s writing journal – a book he kept safe for five decades before his death in 2013.
“I feel like I’ve let my parents down, because I didn’t keep that stuff safe for them, and if I don’t get it back, it’s just not something that can be replaced,” Hanson said.
Hanson said heirloom jewelry was taken, as was a safe containing eleven hunting rifles from their garage, and two 10-month-old kittens, named Tom and Jerry.
“I’ve kind of gone past, I was so angry for a while and now I just feel a sense of loss and I feel sad,” Hanson said.
The case has also hit home for RCMP investigating.
“I can tell you I’ve been a cop for 15 years, and I haven’t seen something as troubling as this where they’ve taken pets and a family heirloom such as an urn,” Sgt. Jeff McBeth with Sylvan Lake RCMP said.
RCMP said they have leads, but brought the story to the public over the weekend in an effort to gather more information.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact RCMP, 403-858-7200 or Crime Stoppers, 1-800-222-8477.
With files from David Ewasuk
