‘Nobody knew what that truck meant to me’: Thieves torch Lisle man’s vintage vehicle containing late son’s ashes

Jim Gillespie's red vintage 1979 Ford F-150 was much more than a two-decades long restoration project for him and his family. It was one of the most important connections he had left to his late son Jordan.

For years, the truck sat proudly on display at the front of his property for all his neighbours to see, but those days are no more.

On the morning of Aug. 16, Gillespie went out to the front porch to have his morning coffee, when he noticed the truck was missing.

I thought someone played a joke on me and moved it, so I went outside to look for it," he said.

After it became clear the truck had been stolen, he called the police to make a report.

Just moments after filing the report, an OPP officer called him back to tell him they were going to check out a call about a vintage pickup truck that had been abandoned about 15 minutes away in Mansfield and set on fire.

Gillespie was absolutely devastated when he arrived at the scene.

The first thing he did was to check if his son's ashes were still in the glove box, but there was nothing left.

Gillespie and his wife were planning to spread the ashes at Lavender Falls near Creemore, which was one of Jordan's favourite places, but they were still building up the courage to do so.

Gillespie's last ride with Jordan, who died suddenly in January 2019 at just 26 years old, was also in the truck.

Nobody knew what the truck meant to me," he said.

He said he believes the truck ran out of fuel shortly after it was stolen, and the thieves tried pouring a canister of diesel fuel that was in the back of the truck into the tank. But since the engine runs on gas, it likely broke down shortly after that.

Gillespie believes they burned the vehicle to destroy any fingerprints in the vehicle

I'm still in shock about it," he said. I can't believe someone would do this."

Acting Sgt. Terri-Ann Pencarinha, with the Dufferin OPP detachment, told Simcoe.com the investigation has been closed due to insufficient evidence.

Anyone with information about this theft can call the detachment at 1-888-310-1122. To submit information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).