Grinch Steals Rare Tree To Use For Christmas

It wasn't even a very good-looking Christmas tree. As described, this particular tree would not have the typical conical shape of a fir tree. Yet someone chopped down and stole an extremely tree from the University of Washington Botanical Gardens arboretum, because stealing it made it free.

The 7-foot Keteleeria evelyniana conifer was one of the park's rarest specimens. It is an endangered species collected from the mountainous Yunnan province in China. It was one of only two at the arboretum.

Randall Hitchin, manager of living collections for the University of Washington Botanical Gardens, which include the arboretum, nurtured the tree from the time it arrived as a seedling in 1998. He said, "It makes me want to cry. "A Keteleeria is something that even most arborists have never heard of. Or if they have, it's just a reference in a book. To have a specimen in the flesh is just a tremendous thing."

The victim tree was located in the park's northeast corner, which may have made it an easy mark. One can only hope that Santa remembers this thief was "bad" and give him nothing, or perhaps that his family will notice that their tree is unusual, and turn him in, or at least give him a lump of coal.

Burglars Steal Baby’s Ashes

A family in Arizona was burglarized, but are willing to give the burglars everything if they can just get an old music box back. The reason: the box contains the ashes of their dead child.

The family returned to their Peoria, AZ home yesterday afternoon to find the garage door open and the house torn apart. The burglars stole electronics and a wooden music box. Inside the box, however, were the ashes of 5-month-old Tyler.

According to his mother, Lindsay Grannis, he died in 1996. She reportedly laid him down for a nap with his twin brother and "he just never woke up." While that sounds a lot like SIDS, in those days, people were not so aware of SIDS.

The family says the box has no monetary value and that they're willing to cut a deal with the burglars. The family said that if the ashes are returned to any Peoria or Phoenix fire station, the burglars can keep the rest of the stolen items, no questions asked.

It is believed that the burglars got opened the garage door using a universal garage door remote. Hopefully, they will read this, and have a heart.

You Know Things Are Bad When People Start Stealing Lungs

It's not organ trafficking, but it sure seems just as disgusting. In Peru, a preseved lung was stolen from the exhibit "Bodies: The Exhibition." The exhibit has traveled the world, and of course, nothing like this has ever happened before.

"Bodies: The Exhibition" uses a special process that preserves cadavers by replacing water in biological tissues with polymers. The missing organ was taken from a portion of the exhibit where visitors can touch preserved cadavers.

In reality, it's probably a prank, not theft for any monetary gain, but it's still a crime, as these exhibits aren't cheap to make. Let's not forget also, that despite the preservation process, it's an actual human body part.

A $2,000 reward, no questions asked, was offered Tuesday for the return of the lung. Watch a video report on the theft: