Man Reunited with French Bulldog After 'Heartbreaking' Carjacking — Wife's Ashes Still Missing By Sean Neumann 16

A Cincinnati man found himself in a “heartbreaking” situation this week after his car was stolen with both his late wife’s ashes and his dog inside.

James Lamb told local Fox 19 that he stopped at a store to make change and forgot his keys in the vehicle while he went inside. Suddenly remembering, Lamb walked back outside and realized his car had been stolen.

Lamb told the outlet that without a permanent home, he often sleeps in his vehicle, and was making change at a store in order to rent a hotel room Monday night. But more importantly than the missing vehicle, the widow told Fox 19 that his late wife Amy’s ashes and their small French bulldog Dobby were inside.

“There’s not many things I have anymore,” Lamb mourned during an interview with the outlet earlier this week.

Lamb’s late wife died in 2022 after sustaining a heart attack while he drove her to an emergency room, according to Fox 19.

Lamb’s friend Chassidy Calvert launched a GoFundMe for the father of three with the goal of helping him and his kids get “a fresh start” after Amy’s 2022 death and the recent robbery, which allegedly happened Monday afternoon.

“Other than my kids, he’s the most important thing I have,” Lamb told Fox 19. “It was the last thing I had got my wife before she passed.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

On Thursday, though, Lamb was able to celebrate one redemptive nugget of good news when a local animal shelter posted on Instagram about a small French bulldog who was brought in after being found abandoned and tied to a pole outside.

“It is Dobby!” Calvert celebrated in an update on GoFundMe. “The vet revealed that he was severely overheated, but thankfully they were able to sedate him and insert a life-saving tube. Although he aspirated during the procedure, we’re staying positive.”

Calvert added that the vet was also able to microchip Dobby, who has since been reunited with his owner. “James feels blessed,” his friend wrote.

On Instagram, the animal shelter wrote that Dobby had been through a “whirlwind” experience but was doing better now that he was reunited with his owner. “It was pure joy,” the shelter wrote about the reunion, according to an update from Fox 19.

As of Friday, Lamb’s vehicle – as well as his late wife’s ashes – has not been recovered. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Union Township police department, according to Fox 19.