Girl finds cremation ashes in Pa. park hours after they were stolen from surviving son's van

CLAIRTON, Pa. – A girl has found cremation ashes that had been stolen from a van belonging to the dead man's son.

Robert Smith says he thinks someone in the crime-ridden Pittsburgh suburb of Clairton mistook his father's ashes for a powdery drug like heroin or cocaine. He says, "You know this is a high drug area. ... It's sad."

Smith says his father died in June at age 75. Since then, Smith has kept his ashes in a memorial box in the center console of his van.

He discovered the ashes missing shortly before 3 p.m. Monday. They were recovered in a park about seven hours later after a girl found them.

Police are investigating the theft.