The canister holding Sharon Mapp's husband Tony's ashes.
The canister holding Sharon Mapp's husband Tony's ashes.
A stolen urn containing the ashes of Rotorua man Tony Prier has been safely – and anonymously – returned to his widow after public appeals.
The Rotorua Daily Post reported yesterday that Sharon Mapp was “devastated” to arrive home on Friday to find her late husband’s ashes missing,along with her TV.
The couple were together for 36 years. Prier died two and a half years ago and the ashes of the “rugby-mad, typical Kiwi bloke” were kept in a canister bearing the All Blacks’ silver fern logo.
Mapp said she assumed those who took the urn thought it was some special rugby memorabilia or that it contained a bottle of whisky.
Tony Prier and Sharon Mapp were together for 36 years before he passed in 2021.
Sharon’s niece Joanne Mapp contacted the Rotorua Daily Post seeking help for her aunty and the safe return of her uncle’s ashes. She also posted on multiple Rotorua Facebook pages appealing for help.
Today, Mapp confirmed the ashes had been returned to her home.
“I found them this morning just outside my house.”
Mapp said she “burst into tears” when she noticed the urn.