A stolen pendant containing the ashes of a nine-year-old boy who died in a plane crash has been returned to his family, Edmonton police said Monday.

The cross-shaped pendant containing the ashes of Dawson Pentecost was stolen from his family’s pickup truck on July 18.

The family had just moved to Edmonton from Manitoba.

The boy’s parents made an emotional plea for the return of their son’s remains, saying the theft made them feel like they were losing Dawson again.

The pendant was found downtown Edmonton by an anonymous resident and returned to the family, police said.

The pendant was damaged, but a funeral home in Edmonton has offered to replace it for free, police said.

Dawson died in a plane crash near Waskada, Man., in February 2013. He was travelling with his friends Logan and Gage, and their father Darren Spence, who flew the aircraft.

An investigation found that whiteout conditions caused the accident.

After Dawson’s death, his parents had cremation pendants made for themselves and for each of their other three sons.

With files from CTV Edmonton’s Julia Parrish