'Nothing else matters': Grieving N.S. mother seeks return of son's stolen ashes
A grieving Nova Scotia mother is making a public plea for the return of her son's ashes.
The funeral urn was among the items taken in a break-and-enter at her home late last month, and it's the only thing she says she wants back.
"I already had a service once for him, and I lost him suddenly. When he passed away, he died suddenly, in his sleep," said Mary Bond from her home in Upper Rawdon, N.S.
"Then to come home and find out I don't have him anymore, it was almost like doing it over again."
Bond says it was about 3 p.m. on New Year's Eve when she returned home to find the place had been ransacked while she was out.
According to Bond, thieves had broken in through the basement.
Some electronics and jewelry were missing, but she and other family members noticed almost immediately that the polished wooden urn was not in its place of honour in a bookcase in the room.
"The first thing you notice over there is Andrew, and it was gone," said Bond.
Andrew Anthony Vaughan was 36 when he died in his sleep of a blood clot in March of 2020.
Always a character, Vaughan was a fixture in the Halifax comedy scene, honing his stand-up skills for seven years before he died.
Since the sudden death, friends of Vaughan have raised more than $7,000 to help the family with expenses.
Long-time friend Andrew Evans shared more than a name with Vaughan -- they bonded on the comedy circuit.
He likes to think whoever took the urn didn't realize it contained human remains, adding he hopes it's returned.
"That's all his mother has left of him," said Evans from his home in Halifax.
Beyond the urn, police say the incident was a textbook break-and-enter, but the investigation hasn't revealed much.
Police have posted on social media, hoping for more leads.
"We would ask that you contact us, or contact Crime Stoppers if you want to remain anonymous, to provide your information, but what we do ask is that you do reach out," said Cpl. Chris Marshall with the Nova Scotia RCMP.
"Keep whatever you want, but please, take those ashes and the urn, and take them, call Crime Stoppers. I don't even care if you get a friend to do it. No questions will be asked," said Bond. "If I got those ashes back, nothing else matters. Nothing."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.