It's a long shot, but Greg Tudor wants a part of his son back.
Gabe Tudor, 24, died in a sadly bizarre traffic mishap last month. Days after he was laid to rest, a thief swiped a bag from his father's car. Inside the bag were cards, letters, donations and the register from the funeral. All those final memories vanished as quickly and cruelly as his son.
"It's a tragedy on top of a tragedy," Greg Tudor says.
Even tougher: The bag disappeared in Minnesota, where Peoria native Gabe Tudor was working while applying to medical schools. So far, nothing — a police report, multiple searches — have sparked a sign of the bag. So, from almost 300 miles away, Greg Tudor hopes a reward might somehow prompt a miracle recovery.
"I felt so sick," says Greg Tudor, an emergency-room physician at OSF Healthcare Saint Francis Medical Center. "All those people offered all those kind words, and I didn't get to read a single one."
After a stellar athletic career at Peoria Notre Dame High School, Gabe Tudor headed to Minnesota to attend St. Cloud State University, where he wrestled and studied pre-med. After graduating, he went to Rochester, working as a researcher at Mayo Clinic while preparing to enter med school.
"I guess he wanted to follow my line of work," his dad says.
In mid-December, Gabe Tudor drove to Illinois to visit a friend. He headed back toward Minnesota the night of Dec. 14, eastbound on Interstate 74. In Henry County, for reasons unknown, his Toyota Corolla left the pavement, crossed the center median and struck a westbound SUV. After the vehicle came to a stop off the side of the road, Gabe Tudor exited his car and talked to the SUV's driver.
He then tried to cross the westbound lanes when he was hit by a westbound pickup truck, according to Illinois State Police. He died instantly.
"I'm not sure what happened," his father says. "It's so unbelievable."
The SUV's driver was taken to a hospital with injuries police called not life-threatening. Days later, Gabe Tudor's loved ones headed to his wake at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Peoria. Intended for three hours, the visitation lasted five, with 800 people paying last respects.
The funeral was Dec. 22. Afterward, Wright & Salmon Mortuary, which had handled arrangements, handed Greg Tudor a green cloth bag containing cards and notes left at the wake, along with the registry. Also in the bag were memorial contributions (the family is unsure of the amount) for two of Gabe Tudor's favorite charities.
Over the next few days, Greg Tudor let the bag sit. He, his wife and two sons soon would be heading to Rochester to go through Gabe Tudor's apartment. He figured he would take some time on road trip to look over the remembrances.
So, on Dec. 27, he put the bag in the backseat of his pickup truck, which would haul a trailer. Later that day, the quartet arrived in Rochester, pulling up to Gabe Tudor's apartment at 1716 Fifth St. SW. Going inside, all four were shaken up.
"It was pretty shocking to walk into the apartment," his dad says. "It was like he had just been there. He had left dishes in the sink.
"It was distracting."
They sorted through the belongings. Many, including furniture, they donated to local organizations. But they packed personal items into their vehicle to bring back to Peoria. They drove to the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 155 16th Ave SW, where they spent the night.
The next morning, they headed home. During the trip, with someone else at the wheel, Greg Tudor decided to look through the funeral bag. But as he reached around the backseat in search of the bag, he found nothing.
He'd been the only one to know the bag was there. During the trip — at the apartment or hotel — the vehicle at times had been left unlocked. During one of those times, a thief spotted the bag and swiped it.
Greg Tudor was crushed. He reported the theft to Rochester police, but no bag has turned up. His son's landlord was kind enough to search the property and trash, but came up empty. Greg Tudor even called the donation sites, to no avail.
So, with no other option, this week he went to Facebook with the story of the missing bag. He asked that people pray for the thief, adding, "I'm heartsick over this loss," he wrote. " ... Perhaps this person will have a change of heart and send the bag sometime in the future."
The bag is kelly green, about 16 inches tall, with "Wright & Salmon" and its address printed outside. Greg Tudor hopes someone can mail that bag to the mortuary to drop it off with Rochester police. To encourage that act of good will, the family is offering a $1,000 reward for the bag's return.
Greg Tudor knows the odds are long. But he is hoping against hope that somehow the thief might read this plea and feel moved to return those final memories of his son.
"Maybe they were on desperate times," Greg Tudor says. "But maybe if they realized the significance of the cards and letters, they would return them."
PHIL LUCIANO is a Journal Star columnist. He can be reached at pluciano@pjstar.com, facebook.com/philluciano and (309) 686-3155. Follow him on Twitter.com/LucianoPhil.