Goodwill workers find cremated remains in donation

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Two boxes of cremated human remains mistakenly included among household items donated to an Indiana Goodwill have been reunited with the deceased's next of kin, police said.

Goodwill employees sorting through donated items Friday found two small, white boxes filled with cremains, Lafayette police Sgt. Grant Snyder told the Journal & Courier (http://on.jconline.com/12WHcXY ).

A merchandise sorter found the boxes inside velvet pouches inside a larger box, store manager Paula Strong said.

"When she pulled them out of the red velvet bags, that is when she realized that they were from a crematory and what they were," Strong said.

Each box was marked with a date and name, which police used to reunite the remains with survivors.

It's not uncommon for donors to drop off mystery items after cleaning out their relatives' homes, Strong said. But Friday's discovery ranks as the "strangest" thing she's seen at her store.

"I'm just happy that they did find the family," she said.

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Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com