Philip Forst tragically lost his brother Ronnie in a 2010 drowning accident, but he’s now dealing with another painful episode after his brother’s ashes were stolen by a package thief.
Ronnie died in 2010 while swimming in Florida. His brother Philip was there.
“He got caught in a rip tide, and it kept taking us under,” he said. “You see it in the movies. My older brother….he was gone.”
Philip recently moved back to the Chicago area, and his plan was to bring Ronnie’s ashes home with him. He decided to have the ashes shipped to a friend’s residence because he had to work, but when his friends arrived home, the box was nowhere to be found.
“He was like ‘it’s not here,’ and I was speechless,” Philip said. “Just no words.”
Forst now says it feels like he’s lost his brother twice, and hopes that the person who stole the package will have a change of heart and return it.
“What if it was you in my shoes? You would feel like crap,” he said. “Do the right thing.”
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Philip is offering a $350 reward to get the ashes back, no questions asked. He said that the person responsible can also return the ashes to the Mendota police station.
