Family devastated after couple’s ashes stolen on the way to Southern California memorial

Loved ones are devastated after thieves broke into a car and stole the ashes of a beloved couple in Southern California.

Robert Gallagher took a flight from Ohio and landed at the Los Angeles International Airport on Friday morning.

Gallagher was carrying precious cargo with him — the ashes of his beloved friends and couple, Leslie and David Hunt.

“It’s a good love story which is one of the reasons I’m here,” Gallagher said.

Leslie and David were married for 25 years and lived in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. They owned a local restaurant together and shared a lifetime of love and commitment.

“David and Leslie were the most wonderful couple,” Gallagher said.

The couple’s immense love for each other was boundless and their legacy lives on even after their death. David passed away in 2016 and Leslie passed away in December 2023.

Leslie’s last wishes were for her and David’s ashes to be reunited in her hometown of Huntington Beach. A memorial was scheduled for Saturday, April 20.

“She wanted to be buried in her family plot here in Huntington Beach,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher took great care to honor Leslie’s wishes when he flew the couple’s ashes from Ohio to Southern California.

After landing at LAX, Gallagher stopped to eat at a nearby Denny’s restaurant located on the 5700 block of Manchester Avenue before heading to the cemetery.

As he walked back to his car, his heart suddenly sank.

“I came out to the car in the parking lot and the window was broken,” Gallagher recalled.

The rear window was completely shattered and all the belongings inside, including David and Leslie’s ashes, were gone.

Gallagher flagged down a police car for help but was told he would need to file a police report online. With the help of a friend, he was able to access a computer and file the report.

Then on Saturday morning, when all hope felt lost, he suddenly received some good news.

Someone at an animal kennel in Rowland Heights noticed a strange-looking box labeled with David’s name and an Ohio funeral home.

“The funeral home in Ohio called us so we immediately drove there and we were able to at least collect David,” Gallagher said.

However, Leslie’s ashes still remain missing.

Her ashes are stored in a white rectangular box labeled with her name and the Ohio funeral home, called Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home.

Loved ones are devastated at the loss and remain desperate to find Leslie’s ashes so she can be reunited with her husband.

“Please, if anyone would see this around or know of this information – there’s no value to it other than the importance to a family and many close friends of theirs back home where we’re from. So if that could be returned, we would greatly appreciate it,” Gallagher said.

Along with the couple’s ashes, thieves also stole Gallagher’s computer bags, family photos and items for Leslie’s memorial.

Anyone who may have spotted the box with Leslie’s ashes or has additional information on the case can call Gallagher at 330-714-7237 or the Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home at 330-928-2147.

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