A man from Nashville, Tennessee, allegedly broke into his neighbor’s home and stole a box of human ashes, believing that it was filled with cocaine.
William Cantrell has been accused of stealing Steven Medley’s Xbox, along with the small box, after which he then quickly left the scene of the crime and fled to his grandmother’s house.
Cantrell’s family have now stated that the 28-year-old took the box because he thought that it had drugs in it. Wanda Allen, Cantrell’s grandmother, told News Channel 5, “William thought it was drugs, he thought he’d done found him a box of cocaine is what he thought.”
Cantrell eventually returned the items, but Medley has now pressed charges and he is currently being held on an aggravated burglary charge.
Kathy Cantrell, William’s mother, has stated, “They just made it sounds like he’s a bad, terrible person broke in this house and stole this woman’s ashes. I’m not saying he’s not guilty but he didn’t know what he was stealing.”
She then added, “On the top of it, it had a white piece of paper taped over it with date of birth, date of death, name and the funeral home.”
Cantrell’s grandmother has gone on to state that her grandson needs help, due to various drug and alcohol problems he possesses. She stated, “If he gets to drinking and doing drugs he’s out there. He needs help. There needs to be more to it than putting him in jail.”
It is believed that Cantrell didn’t snort the remains because the tie on top of the box remained intact. In 2010, three men from Florida appeared in court after they were charged with stealing human and dog remains that they believed were crushed up drugs. They later admitted to snorting the contents.
How long do you think William Cantrell should be imprisoned for ?
