A box containing a small blue urn and a small blue blanket found along the Daphne shore apparently was part of a “burial at sea,” according to the Daphne Police Department.

The box was found on the beach along the Eastern Shore and police were called to investigate.

Police said during the investigation, a family came forward claiming the box and explaining the circumstances surrounding it.

The urn contained ashes of a stillborn child.

A spokeswoman for the department, Heather Deangelo, told WKRG TV what the box contained in more detail, along with the urn and blanket.

“There were some homemade items in there; blanket and mittens, some clay hand- and footprints and there was a hospital bracelet in there from a hospital in Memphis,” she said.

“Their intention was to have a ‘burial at sea’ situation, but it did not go as planned,” Daphne Police Sergeant Jason Vanoy told Yellowhammer News.

When asked about the department’s initial reaction to the find, Vanoy said, “We were obviously concerned that the box was somehow separated from the owner and our main goal was to unite the two.”

Vanoy told Yellowhammer News this was not the first time the department had found cremains.

“We have had cremains recovered before, but in that case, there were no family members located,” he said.

Vannoy said the police department has “regulations about how long we keep property, but there’s also exceptions to that.”

“And this will be one of those exceptions.”

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.