Woman hopes to reunite man's ashes with his family

Woman finds ashes belonging to Bradley Howard Wise

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla.Update: The mystery has been solved, News 6 learned Tuesday. Below is Monday night's report.

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A Daytona Beach woman said she's trying to reunite a man's ashes with his family.

Sandy Bush said she got a call to pick up her brother's belongings in a box, but inside the box she found someone's ashes.

"It's kind of of heartwarming in one way and another way sad, because I feel sad," Bush said.

Bush says she had never heard of Bradley Howard Wise until a month ago when she found his ashes in a box alongside her deceased brother's photo.

"I was excited, because my brother was gone for 13 (years) and I was, like, 'Wow, I'm going to have something we didn't have,'" she said. And then I see the ashes and I'm, like, 'I have to do something.'"

She told News 6 the ashes were found in a storage business. Someone stopped paying for the unit and the ashes ended up in their attic.

"I feel like there's no dignity there for him," Bush said. "I mean, 15 years he's been sitting up there in the attic. He was a human being. The only thing they could trace back was that memorial card from my brother."

Bush said she has a feeling Wise and her brother could have been friends.

"I called my mom and was, like, 'Does this name ring a bell to you?'" Bush said. "My sister also lives here. She also didn't know of him. I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if I could reunite him with his family?' But every avenue I tried I hit a stone wall."

News 6 is trying to help Bush get results, hoping to spread the word and reunite Wise with his family.

"These ashes are homeless and it's my duty, my responsibility, to find a proper resting place," Bush said. "You can't bury them in the cemetery unless you're a family member, from what I understand, so what happens to the ashes? I just can't walk away from it."

Bush said she hopes she's doing right by Wise.

"I would hope he'd say, 'Thank you so much for bringing me back to my family,'" Bush said.

 

Bradley's ashes are being held by a local church in New Smyrna Beach until they're reunited with his family.