Grieving Mom Devastated After Necklace Containing Infant Son's Ashes is Stolen
It was supposed to be a fun night out for single mom LeeAnn Winn, a chance to take a break and kick back. Winn, of South Windsor, Connecticut, and her friend were going out on July 30.
She stashed her purse under the seat of her friend’s car — as many of us do — and the two headed in.
An hour or so later they got back to a troubling scene: The car’s windows were smashed, her friend’s things stolen, and her purse was gone, too.
Purses and possessions can be replaced, but Winn had something in that purse that was absolutely priceless.
A necklace with a pendant containing her son’s ashes had been in the purse. Winn was heartbroken.
“I took it off before we went in. I was trying to be careful,” she told Inside Edition.
She talked to the people who lived nearby, so they could be on the lookout. She talked to police, who are keeping their eyes open, too.
She also posted a photo of the pendant on Facebook, describing her situation and hoping that it would catch the eye of someone who’d seen it.
“I am heartbroken and devastated that a part of my baby is out there somewhere and not with someone who loves & misses him,” she shared on Facebook.
“PLEASE SHARE!!!!! I refuse to give up until this necklace is found ???.” She also added that she would pick it up from anywhere if it were found.
So far, no news. But the story behind the necklace is touching and deeply sad at the same time.
In 2009, Winn had twins named Jayden and Ayden. They were born prematurely, but after some TLC at the hospital, they were healthy and able to go home with her like any other babies.
It was her then 4-year-old daughter who made the horrible discovery one morning: Little Jayden had passed away sometime during the night from sudden infant death syndrome.
There was no warning, no signs, nothing: just a precious life gone in the blink of an eye.
Winn told Fox that the experience “was incredibly painful.” Fortunately, Ayden did not share his brother’s fate and is now 9 years old and healthy.
The pendant understandably means a lot to Winn, and she’s anxious to get it back. As her Facebook post has gained traction, many have reached out to her with kindness.
“For so long this story has been only mine. (But now) so many people feel for it and are coming together as a community,” she said. “It gives me hope.”
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