Her car was broken into in Westport. The thief left with her brother’s ashes

Naida Shipp expected the weekend to be full of fun and family.

Shipp and her fiance took their fathers to a Royals Game on Friday evening as a late Christmas present. The festivities continued the next day as the group went to Doughnut Lounge in Westport.

But when Shipp went to bring a doughnut back to her locked car, parked near 42nd Street and Mill Street, something was off.

First, she noticed that things in her car had been moved. A makeup bag was missing.

Then, Shipp saw that the rear passenger door had been smashed in. Missing was a backpack in which she carries the ashes of her brother, David Anothony Shipp.

“He was an adventurer, and someone I always looked up to,” Shipp said. “Just having him close in my back seat for day-to-day adventures makes me happy.”

David Shipp, who died four years ago, had hiked part of the Pacific Crest Trail, and Naida Shipp and her family eventually hoped to bring him back to the part of the trail he was not able to finish. His ashes were kept in a navy blue box with his name inscribed on the front.

Anyone with information about the missing ashes is encouraged to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or Central Patrol Property Crimes at 816-234-5515.

Shipp said she just wants her brother “back home” with her family. She hopes the thief ditches the backpack, and said she wishes the person no harm.

“My parents have been through enough losing their son once,” Shipp said. “I don’t want them to lose him again.”

This story was originally published April 17, 2017 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Her car was broken into in Westport. The thief left with her brother’s ashes."