A man who found himself hitting rock-bottom made a difficult decision to leave behind his father's urn, but when he returned to the hiding place, it was gone.
It's a mystery that began in downtown Omaha near 18th and Cuming when Brandon Mann placed an urn with ashes of his late father near the steps of Holy Family Catholic Church.
Years later, a search for those ashes began when Mann turned to Facebook for clues. He posted in a Facebook group, asking if anyone had answers about his father's remains.
It's a journey that began when Mann's father passed away in 2014. "I've kept these photos he passed away in 2014. I've had them with me since that day," said Mann. "My dad Jerry was just the most fun guy you'd ever want to hang around. He had a real loving mindset. I don't think there was very many people he spoke or thought ill of."
It's these memories that gave Brandon Mann strength through a rough patch last year and found himself living on the streets.
"Being homeless is an experience I wouldn't wish on anybody. It's not something everybody can survive," said Mann.
Mann was forced to carry all his worldly his belongings on his back, including his father's urn. Mann said he felt he had few options.
"I just began to worry that someone might take the urn. Not realizing what it was or what was in it because it's metal. And it can be sold for scrap weight," said Mann. "I felt like the safest thing for me to do was to leave it at a church. So I placed it under the bush at the very back of the bush."
Mann left his father's remains outside Holy Family Catholic Church. He placed many calls over the years to the church, but was unable to find anyone with knowledge of the urn's location.
"There's always been a hope since the day that I left it there. There's always been a hope in my mind and my heart that someone would find it and either place it in a place of rest or take steps to try to return it."
3 News Now spoke to the Archdiocese of Omaha who say an urn was found at Holy Family Church.
At the moment, there is no definitive answer if the urn belongs to Brandon Mann, but those ashes were interred at Saint Mary Magdalene.
