Barrie man's truck stolen from driveway with father's ashes inside
Police are investigating a report of a stolen Ram truck in Barrie containing the ashes of a family member who had recently passed away.
The victim said he bought the truck less than a year ago for camping trips with his family, but despite keeping his keys in a Faraday box, thieves still made off with it.
He thinks the culprits "jimmied" it to gain access.
The Barrie man said his father's ashes were in a plastic bag inside a cardboard box in a floor storage compartment behind the driver's seat.
He said he carried them in the truck since his father's death in 2021 to spread a little on each camping trip.
Barrie police say the white 2022 Ram sport pickup truck was stolen from a Puget Street driveway sometime between 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The truck has a small dent in the rear of the passenger side bumper and an Ontario licence plate BR55655.
The victim told CTV News footprints were visible in the snow near his truck.
He added that while he is hopeful his truck is found, realistically, he believes it's "long gone."
Barrie police are requesting the public's help finding the truck and ask if anyone "should happen to locate a small cardboard box that has been abandoned or appears to have been discarded," to contact the service at 705-725-7025 or call 911.
RAM TRUCKS TARGETED BY THIEVES
Police say Ram pickup trucks are being targeted by thieves, with some winding up in shipping containers intended for overseas.
Last month, a Barrie family's $90,000 Ram truck was stolen from their driveway.
At the time, police confirmed a rise in stolen vehicles in the city.
Police report 344 occurrences of stolen motor vehicles in 2022.
They noted that in the first 20 days of 2023, 20 vehicles had been stolen in Barrie, with more than half of those being Ram trucks.
Police offered tips for vehicle owners to prevent theft, including contacting police immediately about any suspicious activity, parking in a locked garage, hiding key fobs away from windows, purchasing home surveillance, and inspecting vehicles regularly for suspicious potential tracking devices.
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