Couple's ashes stolen out of car on way to Huntington Beach burial

Couple's ashes stolen out of car

The ashes of David and Leslie Hunt were stolen out of the back of their friend's car, as he was bringing their remains to Huntington Beach. A local animal kennel found David's, but Leslie's are still missing.

LOS ANGELES - Robert Gallagher arrived at LAX Friday morning with a solemn purpose: to transport the ashes of two close friends to their final resting place.

Gallagher and a friend, who flew in from Cincinnati, carried the remains of their dear friends David and Leslie Hunt. Because their flight landed around 4 a.m., they stopped by a Denny’s restaurant on Manchester Avenue near Bellanca Avenue for breakfast.

They were shocked when they walked out to their rental car: the back window had been smashed, and almost everything was missing, including the packages with the couple's remains.

They called police and even flagged down a passing patrol unit, but were told their only option was to file an online police report. With the memorial service and burial scheduled for Saturday, they felt defeated.

But on Saturday morning, they received a call from the funeral home in Ohio, informing them that a local animal kennel had found a package labeled with David's name.

"We traveled out to Rowland Hills, where someone who manages a small kennel there had located at least one of the containers we were looking for," Gallagher said.

They searched everywhere for Leslie’s remains, but came up empty-handed.

The Hunts were married for 25 years and were well-known in their Ohio community, where they owned a restaurant. David passed away in 2016, and Leslie asked Gallagher to return her to her hometown in California if she were to pass away.

After Leslie's death in December, Gallagher arranged to have the couple's ashes buried together next to her adoptive parents in Huntington Beach.

Now, Gallagher and the couple’s loved ones are pleading for the public’s help in locating Leslie's ashes to fulfill her final wishes.

"We care for them dearly and want to put these two people together and finish what we started," Gallagher said.

Leslie’s ashes are in a white container labeled with her name and the funeral home’s. Anyone with information about is urged to contact the Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home at 330-928-2147.