Alabama woman finds man’s ashes inside teddy bear

Alabama woman finds man’s ashes inside teddy bear

When Vicky Wise spotted the teddy bear laying next to a pile of garbage in Muscle Shoals, she thought the stuffed animal would make a good toy for her dog.

Instead, the Lauderdale County woman found a heart-shaped box with a man’s ashes in a pouch inside the teddy bear, she told WHNT.

“It was mind-blowing,” she said, according to the station. “I just couldn’t believe I found something like that in a trash bin. It was startling.”

The back of the box had the name “Barry Freed” inscribed on it and a note indicating the ashes were from a person who died on May 20, 2020.

“I don’t know who he is. All I know is his name and the date he passed away,” Wise said. “I don’t know where he’s from. I don’t know anything about him. But I do know that he had to be loved, and I know that the person he belongs to is missing him.”

Wise said she scoured the internet in hopes of finding the man’s family but got few results.

She’s trying to find the teddy bear’s owner.