A Tacoma woman is pleading for the one thing no insurance policy can replace: the ashes of her 11-year-old brother, stolen from her car as she moved into a new apartment on Sixth Avenue.
Abbirielle Priest was unloading belongings when thieves broke into her vehicle and took off with suitcases and clothes. The family later found one of the suitcases abandoned in a stairwell near their garage, but the container holding her brother Bishop Romeo’s cremated remains was gone. That discovery, she said, left them devastated.
According to KIRO 7, Priest’s apartment cameras captured an image of a man walking through the garage carrying items believed to be from the break-in. She shared those images on Facebook, asking neighbors to help identify him. In her interview with KIRO, she emphasized that clothes and luggage can be replaced, but her brother cannot, saying, “my 11-year-old brother is something I can’t get back.” She also told the station she has heard from others who believe they were targeted by the same suspect.
The stolen ashes belong to Bishop Bradley Romeo, who drowned while paddle-boarding on the Cowlitz River in July 2024, his family told FOX 13. Loved ones say the loss has been shattering and that getting Bishop’s remains back matters far more than any of the other items taken.
Similar Incidents Around Washington
The Tacoma theft comes amid other unsettling incidents involving cremated remains in Washington. In April, an urn was taken from a wall niche at a Spokane cemetery in what authorities described as a “targeted” act, according to the Spokesman-Review. That case highlighted how families can be left with almost no recourse when thieves go after deeply personal, sentimental items instead of traditional valuables.
How To Help
Tacoma police confirmed to KIRO 7 that the break-in is under investigation, but they have not released information about a suspect.
Priest is asking anyone who recognizes the man seen in the garage images to contact Tacoma police or share tips through her Facebook post, in the hope that whoever took the container will return Bishop’s remains and give the family at least one small piece of closure.
