"Dear, ma'am, I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I wanted to bring back to you what's dear to you."
That is the beginning of the letter Gloria Johnson received, along with the return of something very unusual but extremely meaningful to her: The ashes of her beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Dakotah, who passed away last month.
"The dog was my life," Johnson said. "I got up every morning to take care of the dog, and he and I did everything together."
Three weeks ago, a FedEx box was stolen off Gloria's front porch on Targee Street, as seen in surveillance video above. Her dog's ashes happened to be in the box.
Then, after signs were posted around the neighborhood, Dakotah's ashes were returned Tuesday, with a note apologizing and saying, "My mind was messed up without my mental medication."
"Losing him was devastating, but having him back now, I feel much more calm,” Johnson said. “There was no closure, so I think just having him back, now I feel more comfortable. I slept a full night's sleep last night."
Johnson's neighbor found the dog's ashes, as well as the note, in a bag on a fence post. The day that she found it would have been Dakotah's 15th birthday.
Johnson's husband passed away just last year from lung cancer. His ashes, along with Dakotah's, are now displayed together in Johnson's bedroom.
"To lose him after 15 years, it's very hard. You know, I was married 45 -- the dog 15 -- all in one year,” Johnson said. “So I am ready to move on and just enjoy myself now. Everybody's where they're supposed to be, so it's good.”
It's still not known who took the package, but police said they're investigating.
But Johnson is not angry. She said she's just glad everyone's home.
"I am ecstatic,” she said in tears. “I am just so happy."