A man’s vehicle stolen from Syracuse hotel, along with his father’s ashes

Syracuse, N.Y. — A man visiting Syracuse on Saturday had his truck stolen from a downtown hotel.
Inside the truck were his father’s ashes that he was bringing to be placed in a cemetery in North Carolina.
Thomas Rice, of North Carolina, was staying at the Marriott Courtyard at 300 W. Fayette St. Saturday when his vehicle went missing.
Syracuse police confirmed a 2016 F-150 was stolen from the hotel parking garage sometime between 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday, said Kieran Coffey, a spokesperson for the Syracuse Police.
Inside the vehicle were items of memorabilia relating to Rice’s father, including his ashes. His father, Raymond Rice, died on Oct. 9 in Niantic, Connecticut.
Rice said he was in Syracuse for his nephews’ wedding Saturday when he returned to the Marriott, where he parked his F-150. The truck was parked near the corner of the parking garage, near the back entrance to the hotel, he said.
Before heading back to his hotel room, Rice said he walked his golden retriever, Marshall. He saw his truck parked in the same spot after the walk, before turning in for the night.
The next morning, around 9 a.m., Rice checked out of the hotel and walked to his vehicle with his packed bags. He noticed his truck wasn’t where he had parked it the night before.
Rice thought his truck could have been towed. He asked to see security footage when he was told by hotel staff it was not. But, Marriott staff said the cameras weren’t working.
That’s when Rice reported the vehicle stolen.
Rice said the blue truck has Coast Guard decals on the back windows and a Coast Guard sticker on the bumper. The truck has a three-part cover for the bed, as well, he said.
Rice said also in the vehicle were project models from when Rice’s father was an engineer at Grumman Aerospace in North Carolina for 40 years.
Raymond Rice gained a passion for electronics while serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve and later went on to night school for his associate degree in aerospace engineering, according to his obituary. Raymond Rice was later hired by Grumman Aerospace as an electronics engineer.
Rice said his father worked on notable projects, such as the The Grumman F-14 Tomcat and the Apollo Lunar Module, originally called the Lunar Excursion Module.
“We had models of those things that we packaged up and were bringing down for his service in Morehead City, North Carolina,” Rice said.
But they were stolen Saturday night when Rice’s truck was taken from parking garage.
Rice said his family planned to reunite his parents by bringing his father’s ashes home. Rice’s mother died three years ago and is interred at a columbarium at a church in Morehead City.
Rice said after his father’s service, the family planned to have Raymond Rice committed — formally saying goodbye to him at the graveside ceremony.
“If it wasn’t for his ashes being gone, you know, I would just say it is what it is,” Rice said. “But having lost possession of his ashes is just killing us.”
Thomas said if anything, he hopes his father’s ashes will be returned to him and his family.
Syracuse police said if anyone has information on where the truck may be, they should call the department’s Criminal Investigations Division at (315) 442-5222. If someone finds the truck, they should call 911 or the CID number.
Staff writer Darian Stevenson covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at [email protected]