Daughter’s emotional plea answered after stolen U-Haul holding father’s ashes is found in Tacoma

SEATTLE — Update: With assistance from the community Tacoma police have located the U-Haul in Tacoma with Megan’s father’s remains still inside.

It wasn’t a typical move for Megan Plunkett. It was a move to honor her dad’s final wishes.

“That was like the last thing he said was, ‘You need to go to graduate school, you need to go to [UC] Davis and you need to be influenced by your sisters,” Plunkett said.

Her dad, Jerry, died earlier in the spring after a two-year battle with ALS, a neurological disease that took over his body over the last two years of his life. During that time, he moved to Seattle to be closer to Megan while she attended the University of Washington.

An anesthesiologist by trade, he knew the signs early and prepared his family for what would happen to him.

“He made it so special but honestly so did my whole family because everyone put in the effort to be making dishes together, and going to the dog park together every day and just beautiful things all the time and it was whatever he wanted,” Megan recalled.

The months since he died have been a time of transition, planning her move to Sacramento to continue her education and be closer to her sisters.

Tuesday was the day. Megan, her mother and her soon-to-be stepdad had spent all day Monday, save a happy hour treat, going from Jerry’s house to his storage unit, to mom’s Belltown apartment.

“The signs, the pieces of art, I was excited watching those things moved into the truck. It reminded me of how cool and colorful the new place will be and how it will remind me of Dad.”

They’d leave well before dawn Tuesday to give them time to unload into Megan’s new apartment in her new city. Megan went to bed around midnight on the couch, next to the window overlooking the U-Haul. She woke up as her stepdad did at 3:30 and noticed her car had sent her an alert: the door had been unlocked.

Megan’s initial anxiety was met with relief when she found her car and her dad’s artwork was still in it. She was so focused on the car, she missed what her stepdad saw—the U-Haul was gone.

One of the most precious pieces of cargo Megan put in was her father’s ashes. They were in a biodegradable, cylindrical, wooden urn, a temporary container as she was going to spread them on their family’s favorite beach with her sisters once she got to California. Now she’s pleading with people to be on the lookout so she gets that chance.

“Even holding the urn yesterday when I put it in the Truck I felt this reaction that I was holding my dad in this ash form, I didn’t know how to process that. Now, I’m like someone is driving around with it, it makes me want to cry. It makes me so sad.”

Her family has created an email for tips: plunkettrewards@gmail.com and is offering $10,000 for just the ashes alone.

A fifteen-foot U-Haul box truck with a Pelican and map of Alaska on the side is what they’re looking for. She’s posted to social media and reached out to several different law enforcement offices.

In those conversations, she was told those trucks are commonly stolen, one because they’re used for moving, and two she was told they’re easy to hot wire.

Megan and the officers wondered why the trucks weren’t equipped with trackers. KIRO 7 reached out to U-Haul who says they don’t disclose that information but says they’ve helped law enforcement track down trucks in the past.

“We employ a robust investigations unit that works closely with law enforcement in the tracking down of these criminals to ensure their prosecution.” a spokesperson said.

The company urges people to park near lights and security cameras, back up to a wall if possible, and try not to leave it overnight if that can be avoided. The spokesperson says customers have also used AirTags to track their belongings.

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