'Like a tsunami had hit': Saskatoon woman pleas for return of father's ashes and guitar
A Saskatoon woman is making a public plea in hopes of having some sentimental items returned after they were stolen from her condo in the College Park neighbourhood on Friday.
Karen Malanowich said she spent the morning and afternoon with her mother and returned home around 3:45 p.m. That’s when she and her 12-year-old great-niece discovered the front door open and her home broken into.
“Instantaneously, I just went into a panic mode and kind of ran into my place and it was almost like a tsunami had hit my place,” she told CTV News.
Malanowich said her kitchen was covered in corn starch and other food items, and clothing was scattered all over the floor, with cupboards and drawers left open.
“Just a lot of shock that somebody would go through all of your belongings. They went through every drawer, through all my closets, through my storage unit.”
The most shocking discovery though was that her father’s ashes and the Montana guitar he used to play were among the things stolen.
Malanowich said a cross from her grandmother, a flower her father welded her, his compass and some of his gospel CDs were also taken.
“I understand the things that you can go and sell easily, but some of the articles they took were just more personal and they only had meaning for me and my family.”
Malanowich said the timing made it even more difficult as her father died in January four years ago.
“My dad touched a lot of lives. He sang gospel music, he went to gospel jamborees … My dad was really a person in the community and he always gave back to the community, so I’m really hopeful that people will try to help us find some of his belongings.”
Joseph Malanowich. (Submitted)
In addition to the sentimental items, Malanowich said her passport and tax files were taken, along with some jewellery, clothing and food.
She said she called the police right away as she was afraid the culprit would return to take more stuff.
The Saskatoon Police Service said it responded to the reported break in on Friday and has forwarded the file to its break and enter unit to see if there are further avenues for investigation.
Malanowich, who has never been broken into before, said she no longer feels safe in her own home and has since installed cameras in her unit.
The condo board is also looking at ways to make the building more secure, including putting in more cameras and making it harder for strangers to enter the building.
Malanowich said she hopes what happened to her will encourage people to look out for each other and get to know their neighbours.
“We’re really trying to get the messaging out there that, you know, have each other’s back, be a little bit snoopy, watch out for each other,” she said.
“Take the time to get to know the people around you that live around you and really watch out for people’s homes and their belongings and if you do see anything, definitely call the police.”
Malanowich said she hopes to get her father’s ashes and his guitar back, but also tries to remember they are only material things.
“Nothing can really come between my memories and the love that we have in our family and for my dad.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.