A woman reportedly kept her mother's ashes in the 1999 Jeep.
The car was reported missing this week, officials said. (File photo)EAST ORANGE -- Police are investigating the whereabouts of an SUV that a city woman reportedly says housed her deceased mother's ashes, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
The 1999 Jeep Cherokee did not run, and had been parked near the woman's 15th Street home for about a year, an East Orange spokeswoman said.
According to a News 12 report, the woman, Llamia Walker, said that she kept her mother's ashes in the non-operational car, because she thought it'd be a safe place to keep them away from her kids.
Walker told News 12 she contacted city officials who said the car had not been towed, so she believes it was stolen for parts.
The car was removed between 3 p.m. on March 28 and 7:30 a.m. on March 29, city officials said. The police report of the alleged theft did not mention the ashes, they said.
Walker told News 12 she hoped whoever took the car would return the ashes, no questions asked. Her mother, who died in 2013, was very sick and did not leave much else behind, the report said.
Walker could not immediately be reached Wednesday.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.