Woman's remains stolen from casket at funeral home
San Antonio police searching for culprit, say they have never had a case like this
Texas investigators are reportedly searching for any clue that could lead them to the missing body of a 25-year-old woman that was stolen from a funeral home last week.
San Antonio Police Department spokesman Sgt. Javier Salazar said officers were dispatched to the Mission Park Funeral Chapel north on Aug. 16 after employees found a casket that had been holding the remains of Julie Mott empty, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
"I have never in 22 years in law enforcement ever heard of anything like this," Salazar said.
Mott died due to complications from cystic fibrosis on Aug. 8, Mission Park Funeral Chapels owner Robert Tips told the Express-News.
Tips, a personal friend of the Mott family, said funeral services for the woman were held on Aug. 15, which would have marked her 26th birthday. Tips told the Express-News the casket was moved into a hallway where it awaited transfer for cremation after the funeral services ended.
Tips said the next day workers found the casket empty. He said the funeral home is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to those responsible.
"This is a family business of five generations," Tips told Reuters. "I just am not believing that this is happening."
Funeral home officials said there wasn’t any indication of a break-in and police suspect the culprit stole the body during business hours.
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