PEARL CITY, Hawaii (AP) – For decades, Lisa Wond visited the above-ground gravesites of relatives in Hawaii.
But her tradition of honoring her ancestors at the sites known as “haka” changed when thieves stole urns holding the ashes of two grandparents, an aunt and uncle.
Wond later learned that someone pried open the heavy stone door of the “haka,” took the urns and sold them for $31 to a recycling center.
“I can’t tell you how many nights of sleep I lost, my mother lost,” Wond said. “You think this is their final resting place, but it’s not.”
In response to the crime against Wond and other Hawaii families, the state Legislature in May made it a felony to steal an urn containing human remains. The new law requires scrap dealers to get receipts and identification from people attempting to sell such urns, a requirement that was already on the books for people selling beer kegs or copper.