A mother in Sacramento, California, suffered the loss of her son after he was murdered years ago. Still grieving, she saw her son’s SUV stolen twice in eight days by the same suspect. Inside the vehicle were the young man’s ashes, a detail that broke the woman’s heart.
As reported by CBS News Sacramento, the woman in question is Deborah Grimes. She is the mother of Najee Grimes, who was gunned down back in 2022 outside of a Downtown Sacramento nightclub.
Ever since her son’s death, Deborah has kept his memory intact. In fact, she ended up creating a crime victim support foundation in his name, helping the community ameliorate the effects of gun violence and community trauma.
One of the ways she achieved this was through the use of Najee’s 2019 GMC Acadia. Reportedly, she would use it for outreach efforts, and she even stored a necklace with Najee’s ashes inside.
Vehicle Stolen
These details make the incident more heartbreaking. As reported by KCRA, on Wednesday, July 15, the SUV was stolen for the first time. Deborah was distraught, to say the least.
“I couldn’t believe it. I could barely even talk. All I could think of was pieces of Najee being taken away. What more could we bear?” she told the outlet.
Just a day later, the police found the suspect and the vehicle. He was identified as Parrius Lee-McCall. However, to the woman’s shock, the auto theft charges were dropped.
Second Auto Theft
A little over a week later, on Thursday, July 23, the Acadia was once again stolen. This time, the SUV was taken from Debora’s driveway.
Shockingly, it was the same woman, Lee-McCall, who was behind the theft, police said. On Friday, July 24, she was found again with the stolen car, which was returned to Deborah for a second time.
Lee-McCall is charged with felony vehicle theft and possession of stolen property. Online records show, however, that Lee-McCall was again released on Saturday, July 25. No mugshot has been made public.
Preventing a Third Incident
Deborah, worried that this might happen for a third time, installed a driveway camera. Furthermore, she is planning on customizing the SUV with her foundation’s logos.
“Then it won’t be subject to theft,” the woman told CBS News Sacramento. “Nobody’s going to steal a vehicle that has Najee’s picture or our logo all over it.”
KCRA previously reported that Tahje Michael, Najee’s killer, was arrested almost two years after the man’s death. On June 30, 2025, he pleaded no contest to the charges filed against him, including murder. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.