Family to be reunited with loved one’s ashes stolen during Oakland car burglary

The Brief

KTVU learned that a maintenance supervisor near 23rd and Webster streets in Oakland found the box of ashes, identification cards and other documents that had been tossed on the street.

The ashes of Jill Smith were stolen Monday night from a rental car parked near the corner of 8th and Webster streets as her widower dined in a nearby restaurant.

OAKLAND, Calif. – A family whose relative’s ashes were stolen during a car burglary in Oakland’s Chinatown last week will soon be reunited with their loved one’s remains with help from a Good Samaritan.

Ashes stolen in Oakland’s Chinatown

The backstory

The ashes of Jill Smith were stolen Monday night from a rental car parked near the corner of 8th and Webster streets as her widower dined in a nearby restaurant.

“If you know who did it or if you’re the person that did do it, please, have a heart. Give it back,” said Jessica Matthews, Smith’s stepdaughter told KTVU last week.

Her parents, Michael Ventura and Jill Smith of Florida, were married for 30 years. Smith died of a heart attack in January at the age of 67.

“I made a promise to her that I would take her wherever I went,” Ventura said last week. “I’m very upset about it, very sad. I made a promise, and now I can’t fulfill that promise.”

Ventura and a co-worker went to a Chinatown restaurant, finished their dinner and walked around before returning to their SUV, which had Texas license plates.

The family was visiting Oakland from out of state.

That’s when they realized someone had broken the window of the rental car and stolen their belongings, including a watch box with the couple’s picture that contained Smith’s ashes and keepsakes, including ID cards and jewelry.

Good Samaritan finds stolen ashes and belongings

What we know

Over the weekend, KTVU learned that Ernesto Benavides, a maintenance supervisor at a building near 23rd and Webster streets in downtown Oakland, found the box of ashes, identification cards and other documents that had been tossed on the street. He found the items on Tuesday and had been trying unsuccessfully since then to reach the family.

KTVU reporter Henry Lee connected the maintenance worker with the woman’s stepdaughter. She offered him a reward, but he refused, saying his actions were out kindness and “good karma.”

Oakland police are investigating the car break-in.

The Source

Information for this story came from the family of Jill Smith, whose ashes were stolen during a car burglary in Oakland, Calif. Monday’s reporting came from KTVU’s Henry Lee, who connected a Good Samaritan with the Smith’s family.