For 10 years, a stranger has kept a 9-year-old boy’s ashes. Now he’s renewing the search for the child’s family

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – For more than a decade, the ashes of a 9-year-old boy have been sitting on a shelf in a stranger’s garage, waiting to be returned to his family.

The remains belong to Justin Khalief Davis, who was born in 2002 and died in April 2012, according to information engraved on a memorial chest found inside an abandoned storage unit off Blanding Boulevard.

The unit was purchased at auction by David Purdom, who says he discovered the chest years ago while buying abandoned storage units in Orange Park — a business he said he was in long before it became popularized by reality television.

“I know that I’ve had him for a long time,” Purdom said.

Purdom said the memorial chest sat in his garage for at least 10 years. When he first discovered the ashes, he attempted to locate Justin’s family with help from the storage facility, but those efforts went nowhere.

“They didn’t have any forwarding address or anything or a name, and they couldn’t get a hold of them,” Purdom said.

Purdom said storage units can be sold quickly once payments stop, and there are countless reasons a family may disappear from records.

“A number of things could have happened,” he said. “She could have had a wreck or something. Anything could have happened.”

While Purdom said finding cremated remains in abandoned units isn’t unheard of, this case stood out because the urn contained identifying information and because of the care taken with the memorial.

“That box is not cheap,” he said. “The funeral homes charge a lot of money for the urns and stuff, so she had money.”

Now, more than 10 years later, Purdom said his goal is simple: to reunite Justin’s ashes with his family.

Asked how it would feel to finally find them, Purdom didn’t hesitate.

“I’d probably feel real good about it,” he said.

Anyone who recognizes the name Justin Khalief Davis or believes they may know his family is encouraged to reach out to David or Crystal Meadows, who is helping with the search.

You can reach them at cmeadows71522@gmail.com or via text at (912) 288-9319.