A man has been arrested following the heartbreaking theft of a child’s urn from a mausoleum at Resurrection Cemetery in Ancaster, police confirmed this week.
According to the Hamilton Police Service, on November 2, 2025, a grieving father arrived at the cemetery on Garner Road West to visit his infant daughter’s resting place, only to discover the urn containing her ashes had been stolen.
Investigators quickly reviewed security footage and identified the suspect as Kevin Wintonyk, 37, a man of no fixed address who is already known to police for similar cemetery thefts.
After an intensive search, detectives located Wintonyk in Niagara Falls on November 5, where he was arrested without incident. Police recovered the stolen urn along with several other items believed to have been taken from additional gravesites.
Wintonyk faces multiple charges, including:
Indignity to Human Remains
Break and Enter to Commit
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000
Fail to Comply with Probation (×2)
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
He remains in custody pending a bail hearing.
Police say they were relieved to return the child’s ashes to the victim’s family and are continuing to investigate whether other gravesites may have been targeted.
Anyone with information or who believes their loved one’s resting place may have been disturbed is urged to contact Detective Constable Dom DiCienzo at 905-546-8934, or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.