Woman Pleads With Thieves To Return Daughter's Stolen Ashes: Reports

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA — An East Los Angeles woman is asking for the return of a necklace containing her daughter’s ashes, which was stolen off her neck outside her own home earlier in the month, according to reports.

Esther Guerrero, 75, was outside her residence Dec. 15 in the 300 block of South Gerhart Avenue when two people in a car pulled over and asked for directions, with one of the pair leaving the vehicle and hugging Guerrero while thanking her, KTLA reported.

After they left, Guerrero realized the cross necklace she was wearing was gone, replaced with something cheaper, according to KTLA, which reported the stolen necklace held the ashes of her daughter, retired sheriff’s deputy Veronika Garcia, who was killed earlier this year in a car crash at the age of 54.

“My daughter at the sheriff's department helped a lot of people,” Guerrero told NBC Los Angeles. “Now I need help.”

The gold cross has wings and is engraved with Garcia’s name, KTLA reported, adding that Guerrero’s daughter-in-law, Lilliana Guerrero, asked that whoever took the necklace return the cross to the family’s mailbox.

Detectives are investigating, but no one was arrested as of Monday, according to NBC Los Angeles.