Man's ashes found at car wash

The ashes of a man who apparently died more than 15 years ago were found at a car wash in Ocean Beach, San Diego, on Monday. The mysterious metal box was found at the OB Suds car wash near Voltaire and Bacon streets after someone cleaned out their car and left.

The box had only one clue in the fine print. "The sticker on the box said they were cremated in 1995," said Liz Greene, who is with the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association. Inside were the ashes of Henry Efebvre, who has been dead for 17 years. "It kind of put me in a panic," said Greene. "It weighed a lot and I was worried because the bag it was in was kind of dusty. What was I touching? Was I being pranked?"



The car wash owner says it is not a prank. He found the ashes near one of the bays. When no one claimed them, he took them to the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association. Online databases that usually help did not. Searching obituaries and entering the man's name on Google did not turn up any results.

"We never sold cremation to the public, we only did cremation for the mortuaries," said Chris Macera, director of Secure Crematorium, whose name is on the box. "I'd have to find out the mortuary who actually took care of the family." The crematorium said they have no record of Efebvre because it has been longer than 10 years. They said a document which is sometimes placed inside the box could offer more clues. "I don't know," said Greene. "I hope we find his owner."

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