Ella Scott
Authorities looking for the owner of an urn that was placed under a local cinema seat finally have their answer three months on - and it was no coincidence it was left there.
Get the tissues ready, girls - this one's a tear-jerker.
In September, Beloit police reported that an urn had been discovered at a Classic Cinemas movie theatre in Wisconsin.
Advert
Staff at the establishment initially placed the urn in the 'Lost and Found', where it resided for a few weeks before eventually turning it over to authorities, as per Ground News.
Tragically, however, no one came forward to claim the ashes, even after the police department published a plea online for the public to get involved, hoping to return the urn to its owner.
A police representative shared on social media at the time: "We want to return the ashes. If you can describe the urn, please send us a message or call our evidence room."
And that's exactly where it was left for several months, until eventually it was discarded.
It was then that a woman came forward, confessing that it was not an accident that the urn was left underneath a Classic Cinemas seat.
The US resident - who has asked not to be named - told 13WREX that the ashes inside the vessel were her father’s.
She also claimed she had no real relationship with him due to 'difficult' family circumstances.
The woman - who hailed from the local Beloit area - told the news outlet that she didn't want to claim 'the presence' of her father inside her home.
"I was going to watch a movie that day, so I decided to take [the urn] with me," she explained.
She went on to claim that before heading out the door, she marked the item with her father’s name and other comments so that there would be somewhat of an idea who he was.
"The urn was in my bag," she explained. "I have a satchel, like a cross-body bag that I brought him in.
"I ended up putting him behind the theatre seats and then underneath the theatre seat."
The woman then went on to say of her father: "He's not a loved one. He's not missing.
"He is not of an importance to me."
Eric Newman - the manager of the cinema in question - later told press of the incident: "Staff came over to me. They were like, 'I have something unusual'.
"So, I went into the auditorium and there was an urn sitting there.
"Sometimes people leave things like car keys or a cell phone - this was definitely the most unusual item anyone's really ever left."