A family visiting the urn of a loved one at a Seattle columbarium discovered the unthinkable -- someone stole a keepsake from the niche. Christmas Day, Jackie Ollestad and family members went to the columbarium at Seattle's Evergreen Washelli cemetery to visit her husband's cremated remains.

When he died, Jackie's daughter hung a gold necklace, the same one he gave her when she was 2, from his urn. But they discovered it was gone. "It isn't the monetary loss," says Berit Ollestad, the daughter of the deceased. "It's the sentimental value. I personally put the necklace there as a family bond with my father."The thief managed to remove a glass plate securing the urn and other valuables inside the niche where they sat, visible to the public.

Leaving keepsakes with the remains of loved ones is common practice in the niches. Ollestad says the police found no fingerprints, indicating the thief must've been wearing gloves. "I was assured everything would be secure," says Ollestad. "There was never any mention of 'leave items at your own risk.'"

Ollestad says management at the cemetery have assured her this is an isolated incident, but she wonders if the same thing has happened to other families over the years. "They need to re-examine their security," she says. "Something like this should never happen."