A man from Tennessee was devastated after losing his daughter, but the situation became even worse when his car, which contained her ashes, was stolen while he was hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains. Patrick Sanabria and his wife visited the national park and parked their white 1997 Ford Ranger before setting off on a trek.
Upon their return, they found that the car was gone, along with a locket hanging from the rearview mirror that held the ashes of their late one-year-old child. The loss of the car was inconsequential compared to the loss of their daughter’s ashes.
After realizing that his car containing his daughter’s ashes had been stolen, Sanabria was overcome with emotion and broke down in the middle of the road. Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Glossop acknowledged that property crime does occur in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, albeit rarely.
Park Rangers are trained to investigate and prosecute property crimes that occur in the park and aggressively patrol parking areas to deter theft. However, Glossop advised visitors to exercise caution and avoid leaving items unsecured, particularly at trailheads.
Sanabria’s car, a 1997 Ford Ranger with a hole in the tailgate and a five-speed, was stolen along with a locket containing the ashes of his one-year-old daughter while he was hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains.
The loss of the locket, which he had hung on the rearview mirror, was particularly devastating to Sanabria as he had kept a portion of his daughter’s ashes in it to keep her close to him after she passed away unexpectedly in May at the age of one. While Sanabria is not overly concerned about finding the car, he is desperate to recover the necklace and the ashes it contained.
Sanabria expressed his frustration and disbelief at the fact that someone would steal his daughter’s ashes, stating that it feels like they have taken a piece of her away. He described it as “ridiculous” and “astounding,” and said that it’s hard to fathom the value that his child’s remains hold for him.