There's been a dramatic drop-off in car thefts over the past two years, with the number of stolen cars falling 17% in 2024 from 2023, and another 23% in 2025. In fact, those were the two largest yearly declines in the past four decades. On the other hand, 2023 marked the highest number of stolen cars in the past four decades โ and that included a 2016 Hyundai Tucson owned by Kimberly Magnusson.
๐ The Core Development
In 2023, car thieves not only took irreplaceable mementos of her deceased parents, including her father's military service flag, but her parents' actual remains as well. Furthermore, this theft occurred the night before the funeral. Magnusson, who drove up from Texas, was in Greeley, Colorado, for the funeral when the theft occurred. The good news is that everything was eventually found and returned. The bad news is that the recovery happened weeks after the funeral was over, and the Tucson's interior had suffered ignition, steering column, and door lock damage.
๐ Background & Sector Context
If the U.S. only had the same anti-theft laws that Canada passed years ago , the crime may never have happened. That's because the 2016 Tucson was one of the many vehicles caught up in the Kia Boys fiasco. As you may remember, this was caused by Hyundai's decision not to install engine immobilizers on certain Kia and Hyundai products sold in the United States โ but not Canada, where they're legally required. Moreover, despite the automaker's fixes, car theft numbers show that the Hyundai Elantra and Sonata were ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, on the list of most stolen cars of 2025. Hyundai and Kia did see their third straight year of declining thefts in 2025, though.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
Even if the Tucson didn't appear in our worst car-theft story for 2025 having a vehicle stolen containing human cremains can be surprisingly common. At least five cases were reported on the internet earlier this year: once in Indianapolis in May, again in Albuquerque in June, another time in Oakland, California, during August, and twice in September (Warren, Michigan, and Chicago).
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
The obvious risk is that something could happen to the ashes โ for example, if a criminal breaks open an urn to see if there are valuables inside and pours out the cremains to check. But there's also another aspect to consider. Human cremains should be stored in a dry area with stable temperatures. Now, it's not because they'll decompose or anything like that. After cremation, mostly all that's left is inorganic materials like calcium phosphate and other mineral salts. Bacteria and other microbes generally won't grow on that kind of stuff. But the ashes can be affected by moisture. In fact, if human cremains get wet, they'll clump together in what's been described as a thick, chunky paste. You can dry the material out and re-pulverize it, but the task probably wouldn't be anyone's idea of fun.
Additionally, anything left out in your car โ from a fancy funeral urn to a nondescript temporary container โ can be a temptation for car thieves. And they won't be fooled if you hide it under a blanket or jacket, or tuck it under a seat. According to some law enforcement agencies, the safest place to store loose items is your car's trunk.
