Urn containing man's ashes stolen from Ventura memorial service

CAMARILLO, Calif. (KABC) -- A Camarillo woman just said goodbye to her husband of 20 years after he passed away while sleeping on Jan. 15. But now, Julie Logan lost her beloved Ralph again, because thieves stole his urn from her SUV.

"I could not believe that somebody had taken him away from me again. I lost him once and I lost him a second time. I was just devastated," Julie Logan said.

While holding a celebration of his life in Ventura, family and friends gathered to remember Ralph.

"We call it a celebration, but I think everyone else has been calling it a memorial. But the thing is it was going be the fun thing," she explained.

Julie Logan said everyone enjoyed the celebration, and it even included the ashes of the family dog, Tassie, which sat right alongside Ralph's ashes.

But after the service, as her son-in-law was making trips in and out to load the car, police said someone made off with computers, cameras and the two urns containing the ashes of Ralph and Tassie.

"He comes in and says, 'Julie, Ralph's gone.' I said, 'what do you mean Ralph is gone?' He said, 'somebody has taken Ralph and Tassie.' And I went into shock," Julie Logan said. "To take two people, it's like they took their bodies. That's all I had left of them."

Her son-in-law, who is a police officer in Alabama, was able to catch a partial plate, and police are now using that information to help investigate the theft.

No matter how heinous the crime, Julie Logan said she doesn't want to see anyone punished. She only wants the rest of her family back.

"Please, I don't care about the computers, I don't care about the cameras, just please give me my husband and my little dog back. That's all I want," she pleaded.

Julie Logan said she hopes her husband's wish of being together as a family forever can be realized.