Late wife's ashes stolen from car in Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A Virginia man says his late wife's ashes and other personal items have been stolen from his car.

Seventy-three-year-old Charles Duttweiler was visiting relatives in Des Moines last week. He was planning a memorial service for his wife, Shirley, who died in April of cancer and related complication.

But Duttweiler's car was broken into in a downtown Des Moines parking garage on Friday.

Duttweiler lost thousands of dollars worth of items, including photographs of his wife, a laminated copy of her obituary, her death certificate and her ashes.

The memorial service has been postponed while police search for the thief.

Duttweiler, who is originally from southeast Iowa, says all he wants back is his wife's ashes and other related items.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

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