NEW ORLEANS — Police in New Orleans are searching for two people accused of stealing human remains from a home in July.
According to New Orleans police, the suspects allegedly stole “a bicycle and a package containing the remains of a deceased person” from the apartment. They then fled the scene, police said.
New Orleans Police have released photos and asked for help in identifying and locating two suspects in the investigation into a theft that occurred in New Orleans on July 26, 2024.
Although the incident occurred in July, police released information about the case on Thursday.
The owner of the stolen vehicle, 46-year-old Katrina Brees, later told ABC News that it was not a bicycle but a cargo tricycle.
The cremated remains were those of her neighbor’s 23-year-old niece, Brees said.
Brees first realized the ashes had been stolen when the neighbor left a note in the building’s entrance explaining what was in the FedEx package and asking for it to be returned. When Brees reviewed security camera footage, she realized thieves had stolen the package along with her tricycle.
Brees’ neighbor Stephanie, who asked to be identified only by her first name for privacy reasons, told ABC News she was devastated to lose the ashes of her niece Brittany, who died unexpectedly last year.
Along with Brittany’s ashes, Stephanie’s family sent a piece of art that the young woman had created before her death.
“It means I can’t let her go, I can’t deal with my grief – and I won’t be able to,” Stephanie said. “It was the only chance I had to preserve her remains.”
Police initially stated that the incident occurred on July 26, but later clarified that it was July 18. They stated that the police report on the incident was recorded on July 26.
The police released photos and asked the public for help in identifying and locating the two suspects.
When asked by ABC News, New Orleans police did not provide further information about the circumstances of the theft.
The cargo tricycle, decorated with a papier-mâché sculpture of a grasshopper’s head, was part of a fleet of miniature floats manufactured by Brees’ carnival society, the Krewe of Kolossos.
“When it’s released into the parade, it looks like a carousel full of animals is driving down the street,” Brees said, pointing out that the Grasshopper tricycle has been in use for about a decade.
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