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A Monrovia man mourning the death of his wife lost her cremated remains, along with their wedding rings, in a home break-in on Friday.

The thief or thieves broke into the home about 11:30 a.m. Friday in the 300 block of East Foothill Boulevard, Monrovia Police Department Lt. Patty Newton said.

A glass container housing the cremated ashes of a man's wife, as well as wedding rings, were among items stolen during a burglary in Monrovia on May 3, 2019. (Credit: Donny Arthur)
A glass container housing the cremated ashes of a man’s wife, as well as wedding rings, were among items stolen during a burglary in Monrovia on May 3, 2019. (Credit: Donny Arthur)

Several items were taken in the break-in, but some of them were irreplaceable. The cremated ashes of his wife, which were stored in a glass, heart-shaped container, as well as the wedding rings the couple wore for 15 years, were taken.

“That heart: I can’t replace it. Somebody has my wife,” Donny Arthur said.

Arthur said he had just been laid off the same day. He came home to find the rear door of his home had been tampered with.

“I had a rough day. So I set my briefcase down and I went in to grab the heart, which had her remains, so I could just hold it, because it brings me comfort when I’ve had a bad day,” he said. “I went in and it wasn’t on the stand anymore.”

Arthur said he wondered if a homeless man who he’d recently helped, but declined to allow move in with him, may be responsible.

The loss has left him physically ill, he said.

“My stomach hurts real bad, and when I start thinking about it, I get headaches almost immediately,” he said.

Anyone with information can reach the Monrovia Police Department at 626-256-8000. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.