Two days before what was going to be the first Father's Day since the tragic loss of her stepfather, Mandurah resident Milly Cooney left her sibling's house to discover her car had been broken into.
She soon realised that what the thief or thieves had taken was far worse than money.
They had taken her late stepfather Scott Glasgow's ashes, as well as his treasured belongings displayed at his funeral, which Ms Cooney had been transporting back to her mother's house.
When I sat down to talk to Ms Cooney, she had to speak between tears.
"My stepdad was a miner - he had been in the industry a really long time. We had a really strong relationship," she said.
"He died at just 56 this July.
"He passed pretty suddenly - we didn't realise he had DVT so it was a bit of a shock to find him."
After the heartbreaking loss, her family held a funeral where they celebrated Mr Glasgow's life, including his servitude to the Navy.
"We had the funeral a little while ago, and we were transporting his items back to my mum's house before they were stolen."
On the night of September 3, Ms Cooney and her partner returned to her car at around 9.30pm after a few hours of visiting her sibling.
"When we got out all the doors were open and the lights were on," Milly said.
"There was alcohol sitting on the seat that hadn't been touched and at first I thought nothing had been taken.
"Then I saw that all his items had been taken from the backseat, which is just absurd to me."
Ms Cooney held up a picture of Mr Glasgow, as well as a deed of title in his name, both have shattered and damaged frames.
"We found these smashed on the ground outside of Mandurah Baptist College - and then found my boyfriend's phone just down the street from that."
Ms Cooney and her family spent almost 11 hours on foot searching the Meadow Springs area for the other items, which included a five-foot-long sword, a jarrah urn, a Scottish ceremonial belt, kilt pins and two Navy hats.
"His navy hats - because he gave so much time in the Navy - they are two of the most precious items in my eyes, I would love to see them returned."
After finding her boyfriend's phone, Ms Cooney was able to track its movements for the brief time it was in the thief's possession.
It's not a case of whodunnit at the moment - we just want it back.
- Milly Cooney
"We managed to track the phone around the Pebble Beach Boulevard area in Meadow Springs," she said.
"The app said they were driving - we aren't sure but they were obviously going at a speed. We're not sure what we're looking for at this point whether it's a car, a bike or if they were on foot."
The family also conducted door-knocking in the area, which led Ms Cooney into a frustrating wall.
"We did some door knocking and a lot of responses were 'my kid wouldn't do that' - which is great that you have that trust in your child - but please just check their bedrooms.
"The time was 8.30 to 10.45, it's a pretty common time to be out especially for a young teenager."
Ms Cooney had a message for the thief in the form of a raw and empathetic plea.
"I honestly don't care that you've stolen it - we just want it returned.
"These things are just totally sentimental for out family.
"It's not a case of whodunnit at the moment, we just want it back."
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
