'Selling human remains is illegal': Vintage fan shocked by bizarre find at thrift outlet

Seattle resident Josie Chase has been collecting and repurposing vintage goods since 2018

PUBLISHED APR 4, 2023

WASHNIGTON, SEATLLE: This week, a vintage enthusiast found something unexpected in a local Goodwill store: an urn with ashes inside. Seattle resident Josie Chase, 24, has been collecting and repurposing vintage goods since 2018. As Newsweek reported, Chase said, "I fell in love with vintage clothing and began researching and collecting unique pieces from thrift stores, vintage shops, and antique stores."

She added, "Items made 20+ years ago were typically made with high quality materials and made to last—I love finding unique pieces that you can't find in stores today, and being able to recreate time period specific outfits with my collection."

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Chase frequently browses through neighborhood vintage and secondhand shops to find treasures she can give a new life to. These items range from vintage T-shirts, dresses, and jeans to homeware items, including kitchenware and planters.

She connects with other thrift enthusiasts on TikTok by sharing her finds and upcycled creations, but one of her videos has recently gained a lot of popularity. Chase's video of the moment she discovered the urn in a nearby Thrift store has garnered 5 million views.

'Seeing the bag of ashes still inside shocked me'

Chase said, "I stumbled upon the urn in the new bins that had just rolled out that morning at Goodwill." She further added, "It was out in the open with the other items being put out on the sales floor. When I grabbed it and felt that it was heavy, I knew there had to be something inside. Seeing the bag of ashes still inside shocked me, so I decided to share it with my TikTok audience of fellow thrifters and secondhand shoppers."

We are looking into this particular situation

According to Newsweek, Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington, which manages the activities of Goodwill facilities in Seattle and the neighbourhood said, "Our generous material donors sometimes unintentionally donate sentimental items. When this is brought to our attention, we do what we can to return those items. We are looking into this particular situation and have reached out to the customer who purchased the urn."

Chase didn't ask about the urn because so many staff members were preoccupied, but she guessed that the new containers' contents hadn't been checked yet. She said, "There wasn't any other information inside the urn, just the name Toby Cava written on the bottom," said Chase. "The ashes inside the urn are still in their original bag from the crematorium. I'm unsure if they are from a human or animal, but many people in the comments speculate that it could be a cremated dog inside the urn."

Chase stumbled onto the unique thrift store treasure and bought it for $3.99. She said, "I bought the urn because I felt that maybe someone had misplaced it and TikTok could help find a relative, friend, or pet owner associated with the remains." she added, "I also felt the need to respect the departed and keep them from going to the landfill. If no one claims the ashes, I plan to scatter them somewhere nice in Washington State to return them to the earth."