Woman arrested, accused of stealing man’s ashes from suitcase at Charlotte Douglas Airport

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - A woman was arrested for the theft of a suitcase containing the ashes of the son of two grieving parents from Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Vatara Lachelle Lee was arrested Dec. 21 and charged with felony larceny and felony conspiracy.

David White was returning home from Michigan after he and Ann Diehl’s son, 29-year-old Cody White, suddenly died.

He said the suitcase containing his son’s cremation box was stolen Dec. 17 while he was receiving assistance after the plane’s landing.

“They saw a guy and lady [Lee] leave there with luggage. They caught a cab there. They told the cab they left their luggage and had to get their luggage. The cab driver dropped them off at the airport, they came in, grabbed two luggage and went out. The reason we found out is because they didn’t pay the cab driver,” David said in a previous interview with WBTV.

Anyone with any other information is asked to call the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department at 704-336-7600.