Stolen ashes recovered in Snohomish County

The phone call caught Dave McCoy off guard.

A man said he had the cremated remains of McCoy's father-in-law and would give them back in exchange for some cash.

"He said 'I live on a fixed income and if you want them back, I need some money,'" McCoy said.

The remains were in an urn stolen along with other items from the father-in-law's home in Lake Stickney last week. A story about the burglary published in The Herald generated follow-ups on local television stations, which spread the word.

McCoy, 37, who lives in Mount Vernon, asked for the man's cell phone and said he would call him back. Nervous, McCoy called the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

"I know anytime someone's doing something like that, it can get scary," he said. "They may want to beat you up and take your money."

Police told him to have the caller verify he really had the ashes of Ken Heggen, the father-in-law. McCoy sent the caller a text message asking for a photo.

"He sent me a picture of the box (that contained the urn) with the plate that says 'Ken Heggen' on it and Ken's cremation date," McCoy said.

He called the sheriff's office again.

"I said, 'It's legit; they have his box.'"

A deputy told him to arrange a meeting in a public place.

"They said, 'We'll trick the guy into coming out to a place where we can get him down,'" McCoy said.

McCoy called the man and asked for his address instead. April McCoy told her husband, "Let's see if he's dumb enough to give us his address,'" McCoy said. Immediately, the man on the other end of the phone gave it to him.

McCoy asked police if they could make the arrest at the caller's home instead of at a public place.

No, the arrest would have to take place in public, police told him.

McCoy and the caller first arranged to meet at a supermarket across from the Everett Mall. The caller said no, telling McCoy he'd meet him at a Shell station in north Everett.

Late Sunday night, McCoy drove by the Shell station and spotted a car matching the description the caller had given him. A man sat in the car.

McCoy alerted sheriff's deputies, who converged on the gas station, blocking the suspect's exit routes.

A group of deputies arrested a man and booked him into jail on one count of trafficking in stolen property in the first degree, said sheriff's office spokeswoman Rebecca Hover. She said it isn't clear whether the arrested man participated in the burglary.

The suspect told police he got the urn from someone else who'd discarded it. Sheriff's deputies are still investigating the Lake Stickney burglary and have made no arrests, Hover said.

"I can't even tell you what a relief it is that he is home," said Karen Heggen, another of Ken Heggen's daughters.

Family tensions increased after the burglary, and the return of her father's remains was a huge relief, she said.

"We really needed to heal a little bit as a family and having dad back - he's always been the healer," she said.

Dave McCoy said he was glad the event ended smoothly.

"It was a little frightening, but it is a huge relief," McCoy said. "It was just no fun while it happened."

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Information from: The Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com