LAKE FOREST PARK, Wash. — A Lake Forest Park couple who lost their baby boy to brain cancer five years ago feel like they've lost him all over again.
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His ashes were stolen during a home burglary two weeks ago.
"The reason I didn't bury him is because I wanted him to be with me when I find a place, when I pass," Jessica Kropf said. "Wherever they end up burying me, I wanted to have him with me. I never wanted to be away from him."
Casey was just a little more than a year old when he died.
He would be six today.
“He's been gone from us for years,” Brian Kropf said. “We haven’t been able to enjoy his company, but we at least felt some comfort knowing he was near us.”
But then on March 28, thieves kicked in their basement door.
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”Once I came inside, I noticed that the TV was completely gone off the wall,” Brian explained.
The burglars even used the family's tools and took their computer too.
But it's what was missing from their bedroom that had them mourning the loss of their little boy again.
“The most important thing that we lost was a small white box that had our son's ashes in them,” Jessica said.
The white cremation box was kept in a fire safe along with important documents.
But they don't care about anything but Casey.
"He was still part of our family," Brian added. "And he's not anymore. He's literally, like, taken from us."
It's something they know only has value to them.
Since it's been two weeks, they're worried Casey's ashes are long gone.
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“I really hope he's not in a landfill,” Jessica said. “I worry that he is because he doesn’t deserve to be in the trash some place.”
There should also be a small metal tag with the ashes that indicate they came from Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home in Fairfax, Virginia where where Casey was cremated.
If you know anything about Casey's ashes, please contact Siemny Kim at KIRO 7 or on Facebook.
You can also send them to the Kropfs at P.O. Box 924, Lynnwood, WA 98046.