Missouri man says grandmother’s ashes dumped out by officer during arrest
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) – A metro man is searching for a way to move forward after he says Kansas City police officers dumped out all he had left of his grandmother.
“You should’ve asked before you did what you did,” Deonta Words said.
Words is asking questions after he said a KCPD officer poured his grandmother’s ashes in the dirt during an arrest.
“I’m trying to figure out why was it dumped on the ground and scooped backup,” Words said.
Her ashes were kept close to his heart – in a necklace he wears every day. Words says what’s left of his grandmother is now mixed with grass and dirt.
“He never asked me what was in it, or what was it. He just went ahead and dumped it on the ground. If you thought it was some type of drug or anything you should’ve put it on a drug testing thing,” Words said. “You didn’t do that. You just dumped it out on the ground next to my money.”
Words said he was walking to a friend’s near 39th and Topping when police took him into custody on a warrant. Words said he understands the arrest, but he can’t wrap his head around a police officer dumping his grandmother’s remains on the ground.
“I don’t got nothing to say to them, at all. Nothing at all,” Words said. “They didn’t apologize about it and I ain’t got nothing to say.”
He said it brings back the pain he felt about a year ago when she passed away.
“That was the last of what I had of her,” Words said. “This is my grandmother she raised me all my life.”
He says she was like a mother.
“I miss her. I think about her every day,” Words said. “That’s my heart, that’s my baby. I’m her baby.”
Words said it seemed like police didn’t know what was in his necklace, but wishes the officer would have asked because now he’s left with nothing.
“I can’t get her back. I can’t get her ashes back. I’m going to forever think about this.”
FOX4 reached out to KCPD. They said they’d get back to us about this case specifically.
Detectives did say over the last decade, they’ve seen an increase in people wearing jewelry that conceals illegal items.
Words said he was wanted for resisting arrest.
By REGAN PORTER
Photo Credit: fox2now.com