Man asking for help after wife’s ashes stolen during home break-in

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - A Fort Wayne man is asking for your help after someone broke into his home last week and stole his wife’s ashes. It’s left him heartbroken for the second time in two months and he has a message for the thief.

It’s been a difficult summer for William Tindall. In June, his wife Ruth passed away.

“I took my son to work and then went to work myself,” Tindall said. “Then I picked him up around 10:30 at night, came home and they were gone. She was loving, caring, always wanted to help everybody out before she helped herself out. If anybody needed anything, she was there for them.”

Less than two months later, the pain of loosing her hasn’t gotten easier. In fact, Tindall said feels like he lost her for a second time after someone broke into his home and stole a box with his Ruth’s ashes inside. He says this time it hurts more because he didn’t have the chance to say goodbye.

William tindall, wife’s ashes stolen: “ (I felt) lost, empty, part of me was really really gone,” Tindall said. “I just haven’t had a chance to mourn myself... And I just wanted to keep her with me, but now she’s gone all the way.”

All over his dining room walls are pictures of Ruth and items that she loved so much are sitting on shelves.

Tindall says whoever got inside only took the ashes. He said he’s so hurt by the theft, he had to take action. He went onto the Nextdoor app and posted about what happened. Just hours later, the post was flooded with comments.

As police work to find who did this, all Tindall wants is for whoever did this to bring Ruth home.

“Please bring her back,” Tindall said. “I just want her back home with us where she belongs. I just need closure.”

We reached out to the Fort Wayne Police Department for a copy of the police report, but they wouldn’t provide it citing an “ongoing investigation.”

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