http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/crime/2015/03/06/thieves-mistake-cremated-remains-for-drugs/24546183/
Devin Gesell was ID'd after police tracked the IP address of a stolen XBOX. (Photo: St. Charles Co. PD)
A St. Charles County woman's story serves as a cautionary tall for anyone traveling out of town. Now, she's missing jewelry, electronics, and even a loved one's ashes.
Deborah Matthews and her family decided to spend their Thanksgiving last fall in California where her husband was working. While on their trip, Matthews said her son posted a status update to Facebook.
That day, suspects broke into their home.
"I was sick, sick to my stomach," she said. "All my jewelry was gone, all my sons electronics, I had my father's ashes -- they were sitting on the dresser."
St. Peters police said the suspects thought the ashes were drugs, and attempted to ingest them before realizing the mistake. Court documents say the suspects discarded the ashes.
Matthews has not been able to locate them.
One suspect, 17-year-old Devin Gesell, has been identified. Gesell was recently charged with second-degree burglary and stealing over $500. Police said they located Gesell by connecting the IP addressed used with one of the stolen electronics -- an XBOX machine.
Court documents show two other juvenile suspects were involved. Matthews knows both of them.
"There were people that I knew that I never thought would do something like this to me," she said.
Just this week, Matthews was still finalizing the home repairs caused by the break-in. She hopes others will take extra caution when traveling to avoid what happened to her.
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http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_829fb93f-53cc-5d1a-bc51-8f55d0809dce.html
Three teenage burglars thought they were stealing cocaine, but it turned out to be the cremated remains of the homeowner’s father, police said.
The thieves realized their mistake after one of them tasted the ashes. Then they threw the cremains out of a car window, police said.
Devin M. Gesell, 17, of the 1000 block of Howell Street in St. Charles is charged with burglary and two counts of theft in the case. His accomplices, ages 15 and 16, were referred to juvenile authorities for charges.
The burglary happened in November at a home on Forrel Tree Court. Detectives tracked the three down through an IP address used on one of the stolen items — an Xbox 360 game system, police said. Gesell was charged this week.
According to police, the three were acquaintances of the family who lived at the home. They planned the burglary after seeing a posting on Facebook that said the family was going to be out of town.
Gesell told police that one of the juveniles broke the glass out of the rear door of the home, unlocked it and entered the residence. He said he had acted as a lookout while the two others took items that included the game system, cash, jewelry, prescription bottles of oxycodone and morphine and the ashes, which were in a wooden box.
Police said Gesell could not remember where they had been driving when they discarded the remains.
His bail is set at $10,000 cash-only.
Devin Gesell was ID'd after police tracked the IP address of a stolen XBOX. (Photo: St. Charles Co. PD)
A St. Charles County woman's story serves as a cautionary tall for anyone traveling out of town. Now, she's missing jewelry, electronics, and even a loved one's ashes.
Deborah Matthews and her family decided to spend their Thanksgiving last fall in California where her husband was working. While on their trip, Matthews said her son posted a status update to Facebook.
That day, suspects broke into their home.
"I was sick, sick to my stomach," she said. "All my jewelry was gone, all my sons electronics, I had my father's ashes -- they were sitting on the dresser."
St. Peters police said the suspects thought the ashes were drugs, and attempted to ingest them before realizing the mistake. Court documents say the suspects discarded the ashes.
Matthews has not been able to locate them.
One suspect, 17-year-old Devin Gesell, has been identified. Gesell was recently charged with second-degree burglary and stealing over $500. Police said they located Gesell by connecting the IP addressed used with one of the stolen electronics -- an XBOX machine.
Court documents show two other juvenile suspects were involved. Matthews knows both of them.
"There were people that I knew that I never thought would do something like this to me," she said.
Just this week, Matthews was still finalizing the home repairs caused by the break-in. She hopes others will take extra caution when traveling to avoid what happened to her.
---------------------
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_829fb93f-53cc-5d1a-bc51-8f55d0809dce.html
Three teenage burglars thought they were stealing cocaine, but it turned out to be the cremated remains of the homeowner’s father, police said.
The thieves realized their mistake after one of them tasted the ashes. Then they threw the cremains out of a car window, police said.
Devin M. Gesell, 17, of the 1000 block of Howell Street in St. Charles is charged with burglary and two counts of theft in the case. His accomplices, ages 15 and 16, were referred to juvenile authorities for charges.
The burglary happened in November at a home on Forrel Tree Court. Detectives tracked the three down through an IP address used on one of the stolen items — an Xbox 360 game system, police said. Gesell was charged this week.
According to police, the three were acquaintances of the family who lived at the home. They planned the burglary after seeing a posting on Facebook that said the family was going to be out of town.
Gesell told police that one of the juveniles broke the glass out of the rear door of the home, unlocked it and entered the residence. He said he had acted as a lookout while the two others took items that included the game system, cash, jewelry, prescription bottles of oxycodone and morphine and the ashes, which were in a wooden box.
Police said Gesell could not remember where they had been driving when they discarded the remains.
His bail is set at $10,000 cash-only.
....serves that little degenerate cac right.....
....
