A Florida man feared he lost some of his late mother's ashes when someone stole his custom car, but he was shocked to see the thief returned the ashes.
Larry Carter Jr. told WFLA the thief stole his 2023 limited edition Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Jailbreak from his Winter Haven home this week. The resident suspects someone busted out the passenger window, rolled the Hellcat out of the neighborhood, and took off with the violet vehicle.
“I ain’t hear no horn, nothing. Car didn’t crank. I would have heard it,” he said, noting he was asleep when the theft happened.
Carter said he got the Dodge Challenger after his mother passed away in March 2019. A sign on the back windshield of the Hellcat reads, “In Loving Memory of Lorena Leonard.”
“It was special, you know, it’s last call. Got my mother’s name. Got Jesus on both sides,” the car owner explained. “That’s the main reason I got that car because of her, to represent her.”
Some of his mother's ashes were inside the cupholder of the Hellcat, as well. Carter was shocked to find the stolen ashes hanging out of his mailbox Tuesday morning (April 23).
The car owner said he made sure to preserve the evidence when Winter Haven police responded to the scene. While he hopes he gets his custom Dodge Challenger back, he's relieved his mother's ashes are back home.
“Good thing they did brought it back because that car was special for her. So, without having her ashes, I felt like I’m a failure,” Carter said. “They got some good heart. They still got a good heart, but just their mind messed up.”