Police in London, Ont., have recovered some of the keepsakes belonging to a newborn who died in a car crash earlier this month after the arrest of two residents. But many of the keepsakes, which were reported stolen a week after the crash, are still missing.
Marsha Benninger was pregnant when she was involved in a two-vehicle collision on Sept. 14 in Wingham, Ont., located about 100 kilometres north of London.
She survived the accident, but was seriously injured and transported to London Health Sciences Centre. Her son did not survive.
While Benninger was recovering in hospital, her husband was staying in London and had parked their car at a local hotel.
Sometime between Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 22 at 8 a.m., the car was broken into and several items were stolen from the grieving parents, including an oak box that held keepsakes of their deceased son.
Police said Monday some of the stolen items were recovered after two London residents were arrested last Thursday for an unrelated matter.
After searching the residents' vehicle, police found items that had been reported stolen from the fatal crash, London police said in a statement. Officers also seized 20.7 grams of marijuana.
Police then searched a London address last Friday and found the oak box that held the baby boy's keepsakes. They also found a sleeper, a baby blanket, a footprint book and a knitted infant hat that had been reported stolen.
Officers did not find other items that had also been in the box, including a lock of the boy's hair, clay mouldings of the boy's feet, a CD filled with the newborn's pictures and a card with the baby's name and date of his death on it.
Mark Barton and Amanda Fordham have been charged with two counts of possession of property obtained by crime, and possession of Schedule II substance, police said in the statement.
A bail hearing for Barton is scheduled for Monday. Fordham has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court in October.
