A search is ongoing for the unknown person who left an urn containing human ashes in a Walmart store in McKinney.
“Someone had found this over in the fabrics and crafts section. Maybe somebody set it on the shelf looking for another container and accidentally left it there,” Walmart employee Ginny Long told CBS News DFW.
McKinney Walmart employees have been working off the clock and on their own time to find the owner of the urn. They noted that it is an item of deep personal value, and the owner must want it back.
“It’s kind of heartbreaking. I just wish I could get it back to the people it belongs to,” Long said.
The ceramic urn had the words “Mom’s Ashes” written on the back, along with a date, and inside were what appeared to be cremated remains.
Since the item was discovered last weekend, Long and other Walmart employees have been trying to draw awareness to the missing item by using social media.
To their surprise, no one has come forward to claim the item.
“Nobody has come asking about it or saying that they are missing one or anything. Nothing’s been said about it,” Long said.
While it is possible that someone left the item in the Walmart on purpose as some sort of joke or prank, employees believe that the owner of the urn was potentially looking for a different container for the remains.
“I know if it was my mother, I would like to have it, not to lose it somewhere,” Long said.
Anyone who has any information that could bring the sentimental item to its rightful owner can contact the Walmart on McKinney Ranch Parkway at Lake Forest Drive.
Cremations are an increasingly popular method of burial. The annual number of cremations in the United States is expected to rise from 1.91 million in 2022 to 2.26 million by 2030.
In 2010, the number of cremations was 1 million. By 2040, the cremation rate is projected to grow to 78.7% of all U.S. deaths.
