Who left cremated remains at Alaska's largest airport?

Police are trying to reunite cremated remains left at Alaska's largest airport with the traveller who left them behind.

Someone travelling through the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport last August left a Ziploc bag with human ashes at a security checkpoint, the Anchorage Daily News reported Wednesday.

The ashes were sitting in lost-and-found for more than six months before police were notified, Airport Police and Fire Sgt. Dan Juarez said. The ashes have since been placed in the department's evidence unit.

The bag of ashes does not contain any identifying information.

"This is the first time we've had to deal with this," Juarez said. "It is unusual."

Airport police posted about the missing ashes on Facebook on Tuesday, hoping word would spread and the traveller might see the post.

It is unusual.- Dan Juarez, airport police and fire sergeant

"I want people to share it as much as possible and hopefully it will jog some family member out there to check the urn," Juarez said.

Juarez said it's possible the traveller might not know the remains are missing if they have not opened the urn since travelling with it.

The traveller likely took out the remains to pass through security, Juarez said.

Transportation Security Administration agents are not allowed to remove remains from containers, according to the agency.

If the remains are not claimed in the next few weeks, they will be stored at a cremation centre.

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