Thieves steal dead son’s ashes from Scottsdale home

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - A Scottsdale family is pleading to the thieves who burglarized their home Wednesday to return their son’s cremated ashes.

Debbie Schelske lost her 19-year-old son Cole when he had a deadly reaction to some medication. Debbie slept with Cole's urn in her bedroom. With an angel on top, he was the first thing she saw each and every morning.

On Wednesday, someone broke into Debbie and her husband’s home near 68th Street and McDowell Road, and took Cole’s urn.

"That's my son in there," Debbie said. "He's been taken from me once, and it just feels like he's been taken all over again."

In their rush to grab as many valuables as possible, along with electronics, a handgun and more, Debbie thinks the burglars mistook the urn for a jewelry box. 

"I can't imagine someone coming into your house and taking an urn if they knew what it was."

The replacement to the Schelske’s kicked-in door is almost finished, but there are some things that can't be replaced.

"I would ask that the [burglars] just please don't do anything to disrespect Cole's ashes, and please don't throw them away,” Debbie said.

Anyone with information about the burglary is being asked to call Scottsdale police.