Florida man says mother's ashes returned to mailbox after car stolen

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man said his custom car was stolen while he was asleep on Monday, and the vehicle contained something irreplaceable: his mother's ashes.

Larry Carter Jr. told Nexstar's WFLA that he can't believe he slept through it all. He believes someone broke into his 2023 limited-edition Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Jailbreak and rolled the vehicle out of his Winter Haven neighborhood before starting the engine.

"I ain't hear no horn, nothing. Car didn't crank. I would have heard it,” he said.

A sign on the back windshield said, “In Loving Memory of Lorena Leonard,” Carter’s late mother who passed away in March 2019.

“It was meant for her. That’s the main reason I got that car because of her, to represent her," he said, adding that he didn't drive the car often but always made sure to bring his mom's ashes whenever he did.

Carter kept some of the ashes in the cupholder, and said they were also stolen Monday.

He said he immediately reported the car theft to police and called again on Tuesday morning after he found his mother's ashes hanging out of his mailbox.

"Good thing they did brought it back because that car was special for her. So, without having her ashes, I felt like I’m a failure," Carter said.

Carter said he also worked to preserve the evidence by using a shirt to close the lid of the container holding the ashes.

"I didn't want to put my fingerprints on it,” he said.

Winter Haven police officers canvassed Carter's neighborhood to collect more evidence Tuesday.

While he's still holding out hope he will get his custom car back, he's relieved to be reunited with his mother’s ashes, a priceless possession.

“They still got a good heart, but just their mind messed up,” Carter said of the suspected thief or thieves. "Whoever it was, still got a good heart. It's all Him."

Police have not yet identified a suspect or located Carter's vehicle.