‘Our last hope’: Police turn to public for help finding home for found funeral urn

Police shared these two photos of the urn with their release. (Coquitlam RCMP)

After nearly four years of trying to track down the rightful custodian of an urn containing human remains, Mounties in Coquitlam are turning to the public for help.

The green urn with German writing on it was found by a member of the public on July 27, 2022, Coquitlam RCMP said in a news release Wednesday.

The person who found it in the 3000 block of Gordon Avenue, near the boundary between Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, alerted police, who have been working to identify someone to return the remains to ever since.

The urn has the name of a 25-year-old man who died in 2012 on it, police said, adding that they would not be releasing the name “out of respect.”

“Investigators have conducted an extensive search for family or friends of the deceased, to return the urn to the proper caretaker,” said Cpl. John Graham, in the release.

“A plethora of investigative actions have been conducted, with some leads including tracing the origins of the urn to Germany, but ultimately no success in locating the appropriate person has been made. Out of utmost respect to the deceased man, a media release is our last hope in reuniting the urn to its proper guardian.”

Police asked anyone with information on where the urn belongs to contact them at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2022-19276.