'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.

East Hants District RCMP asking for public help to find an urn stolen in a break-in in #UpperRawdon on Dec. 30, 2021. A number of items were stolen including an urn containing the homeowner's son's ashes. Pls call 902-883-7077 or CrimeStoppers with info https://t.co/yuVBDCTXLl pic.twitter.com/9n3BaiSCR3

— RCMP, Nova Scotia (@RCMPNS) January 24, 2022

"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."