Waterford Township— When Wendy and Dave Turnquist returned home Friday and saw their side-door window smashed and the door open, they thought about the television, laptops and jewelry that might be missing.
They never thought a thief would have taken their son's urn and gold medallion with his thumbprint, and only those two items.
Ryan Christopher McDonald died when he was 12 years old, on Feb. 9, 2007. For many years, he battled Kearns-Sayre syndrome, a debilitating disease that made it difficult for him to walk and speak, but he was celebrated in his community for his cheerfulness and good nature.
His stepfather, Dave Turnquist, said Ryan was the type of kid who wanted to visit others when they were sick because he would worry about them.
Whoever entered the house in Waterford Township between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. disturbed only the bedroom, Turnquist said. His dresser was rifled through, but the intruder ignored his wife's Pandora bracelet on the dresser next to the stainless steal urn, as well as his iPod Touch and laptop on the kitchen counter.
The urn is a box with a pewter picture frame on each side with the obituary, a picture of Ryan, a picture of Ryan with his brother and a picture of mother and son, Turnquist said.
"This is nuts, absolutely nuts," he said. "I don't know what kind of sick person would do this, but it's absolutely unbelievable."
Turnquist said it appeared the thief or thieves may have come in shortly after he and his wife left for work.
"They smashed the window of the side door and let themselves in and proceeded to rummage through my dresser drawer and hers."
The medallion can be re-formed by the funeral home, but Turnquist said his wife is distraught that the one thing that can't be replaced was stolen from them — her son's ashes.
"Now my wife's biggest concern is if her son is going to be in the Dumpster," he said. "So, it's just crushing. My wife lost her son almost five years ago, and now she's afraid she's going to lose him again."Turnquist said Sunday he's been searching the trash bins in nearby apartment complexes in case someone discarded the urn.
Waterford Township Police Sgt. Todd Hasselbach verified Saturday that the family had filed a report about the break-in.
"It's an open investigation," Hasselbach said, adding officers plan to interview several people about the incident. "With the holidays and the memories, everything is more personalized and it's understandable. We'll do our best."
Turnquist said authorities do not have any leads yet, but they collected a few items to examine for fingerprints.
"It's almost like it's a spite or hateful thing, but my wife doesn't have any enemies," he said. "We're totally stumped."
Hasselbach said anyone with information should call Waterford Township Police at (248) 674-0351
(313) 222-2127
Staff writer Christine Ferretti contributed.
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